This is a bit long but good, it came from a daily devotional I get: Hiddenness is an essential quality of the spiritual life. Solitude, silence, ordinary tasks, being with people without great agendas, sleeping, eating, working, playing all of that without being different from others, that is the life that Jesus lived and the life he asked us to live. (Henri Nouwen) In his famous Sermon on the Mount Jesus teaches us to do life the way he was doing life and he is specific and practical in how he fleshes this out. Matthew 6:1-13 (MSG) Be especially careful when you are trying to be good so that you dont make a performance out of it. It might be good theater, but the God who made you wont be applauding. 2-4 When you do something for someone else, dont call attention to yourself. Youve seen them in action, Im sure - playactors I call them - treating prayer meeting and street corner alike as a stage, acting compassionate as long as someone is watching, playing to the crowds. They get applause, true, but thats all they get. When you help someone out, dont think about how it looks. Just do it-quietly and unobtrusively. That is the way your God, who conceived you in love, working behind the scenes, helps you out. 5 And when you come before God, dont turn that into a theatrical production either. All these people making a regular show out of their prayers, hoping for stardom! Do you think God sits in a box seat? 6 Heres what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you wont be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace. 7-13 The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. Theyre full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Dont fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need.
Posted on: Fri, 02 Jan 2015 14:40:34 +0000
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