The Art of doing Nothing for God (Article from August 2012)

The Art of doing Nothing for God

“Remain in me, and I will remain in you.  No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine.  Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” John 14:5

How often in my life have I either lived my life and kept God confined in his own designated corner, or I rushed ahead impulsively to serve him while he was back there waving his arms calling, “Wait!  It’s not time—where are you going?!”  In either case, every time, I did not bear fruit.  In fact, I probably let the fruit wither on the vine, or trampled it underfoot.  When God tells me to wait, stay, remain, linger, abide, tarry, or rest in him, he has a purpose in mind.  Doing nothing isn’t really doing nothing.

Quality time vs. Quantity time

For a while, American society adopted a concept of “quality” versus “quantity” when it came to the lack of time we had in our crazy-busy schedules.  Feeling deflated that we only had a little bit leftover for loved ones, we buoyed ourselves with the idea that if we made that time really good and special, then it would suffice.  Unfortunately, over time the general consensus was that we were kidding ourselves—especially when it comes to relationships.

Jesus said that of everything in the Bible, the first and greatest command for me is to love God with all my heart, with all my soul, and with all my mind (Matthew 22:38).  Doesn’t it seem easy to read that and think, “Okay, ‘Love God’—check!  What’s next?”  I have come to realize that God wants us to spend a lifetime—our whole lives—discovering what it means to love him with every fiber in our being.  Unless we dedicate ourselves to remaining in him, loving him, savoring his love for us, everything that we do for God is a waste time. 

To me one of the scariest passages in the Bible is when Jesus says that people who do amazing things in his name  will not enter his kingdom unless they obey God’s command (…and the greatest command is to love him).  The paraphrase in The Message puts Matthew 7:21-23 this way:

"Knowing the correct password—saying 'Master, Master,' for instance— isn't going to get you anywhere with me. What is required is serious obedience—doing what my Father wills. I can see it now—at the Final Judgment thousands strutting up to me and saying, 'Master, we preached the Message, we bashed the demons, our God-sponsored projects had everyone talking.' And do you know what I am going to say? 'You missed the boat. All you did was use me to make yourselves important. You don't impress me one bit. You're out of here.'”

How to Do NothingWell

Spending time with God shouldn’t be a program that we plan.  Even praying (talking to God) should take a back seat to silence—just listening and being with God.  In the Apprentice Study by James Bryan Smith, the soul training exercise of silence is often the hardest discipline for many people to practice.  We are so accustomed to taking charge, that leaving ourselves hanging there, being with God feels very uncomfortable—at first.  Soon though, you keep practicing, you may find yourself almost feeling guilty at how wonderful it feels to just sit there basking in the warmth of love that God lavishes onto us if we will let him.

Wake Up and Smell the Sulphur! (Article from July 2012)

Wake Up and Smell the Sulphur!

I keep thinking about that the real danger for followers of Christ face is not blatant sin and temptation, but little choices and compromises we make daily.  We reassure ourselves that we aren’t as sinful as other people, and while we slowly veer away from Jesus without even realizing it.

In The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis, senior demon Screwtape congratulates his nephew Wormwood that his young “patient” (a Christian) has started hanging out with new intellectual, worldly friends and is fitting in with their circle.  But he warns Wormwood not to move too fast, lest the man wake up to the way he has wandered away from the Enemy (God).  Screwtape continues:

For this reason I am almost glad to hear that he is still a churchgoer and a communicant.  I know there are dangers in this; but anything is better than that he should realize the break he has made with the first months of his Christian life.  As long as he retains externally the habits of a Christian he can still be made to think of himself as one who has adopted a few new friends and amusements but whose spiritual state is much the same as it was six weeks ago.

Screwtape notes that a patient might only have a hazy uneasiness about how they’ve been doing lately, instead of a clear understanding of sin that can be repented of.  In fact, when we have this vague sense of guilt, the last thing we want to do is pray.  Or go to church.  Or read the Bible.  Or anything that causes us to focus on God.  Guilt isn’t comfortable at all.

Church at risk

Honestly, I am afraid not only for myself, but for my church.  There’s a pandemic of apathy in the church in America and even right here at SCFBC.  I believe Satan would be delighted for our worship services to be filled with Christians doing their “duty” of coming to church, singing songs, and bowing their heads, all the while looking forward to getting back to their lives and activities.  While this indifference has become so common that it seems normal, we do not have to give in to it, or take it lying down! 

What can we do?

The only way to determine our true state of spiritual health is by unreservedly asking the Holy Spirit to show us anything we need to change (Psalm 139).  We need to admit that those little compromises are sin, and let ourselves feel the full weight of how we have hurt God and ourselves.  We need to ask God to forgive us.  He doesn’t expect us to fix things on our own—he longs to help us. 

We as a congregation also need to acknowledge where we’ve veered off course.  We cannot blame our attitude on the music style, or the preaching, or the time of day, or anything else—we have to step up and take responsibility for our part.  By leaning on the Holy Spirit, we will experience peace and pleasure like we’ve nothing we’ve ever known.

I pray that this process will not only help SCFBC to be spiritually healthy and vital, but that individuals will wake up to the dangerous position they are in.  Screwtape concludes, “Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one—the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.”