From/To

And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. Luke 4:1-2

From the Jordan to the wilderness

From presentation to preparation

From affirmation to testing

From the crowd, to isolation

From fullness to hunger

From “You are” to “If you are”

And finally, from wild animals to angels (See Mark 1:13)

The way of Christ is the way of movement. From high to low; from low to high. With little plateau in between. God does not call us without preparing us to face the challenges we will encounter; and the enemy will always defy our calling and affirmation (unless of course we offer no threat to his attempts to overthrow the Kingdom of God.) It is a cycle of contrasts. It is important for us to note the movement of cycles in our life – to record growth and progress in our preparation times, to draw encouragement and inspiration in our plateaus, and to prevent the distraction of pridefulness in our fruitfulness.

Let’s Do Something About It           

Where are you in the cycle of contrasts? Prayerfully consider your spiritual journey over the last year. What have been your contrasts? What do they tell you about the path God has you on right now?

Solitude and Fasting

            …when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness…for forty days             Luke 3:21-22; 4:1

            Having been affirmed by God, the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness before beginning His public ministry. Why the wilderness? The wilderness was a place of solitude and fasting.

            Solitude, coupled with silence, is essential if we are going to quiet the myriad of outside noises and distractions that muddle our ability to hear the “small, still voice of God.” It is a place to still all other opinions, agendas, interpretations, and priorities. It familiarizes us with the inner-voice of God’s love and direction.

            Fasting releases us from dependence on the physical realm, self-reliance, and independency and compels us to rely more fully upon the spiritual sufficiency of God’s provision. It trains us on how to depend completely on God.

            But the wilderness is also a place of testing where the enemy will use our vulnerability to challenge our calling and to question our identity by tempting us to “prove it.” If we have not developed a full sense of recognizing God’s voice and relying on His provision, we will be more likely to succumb to the enemy’s tactics. This is why periods of solitude and fasting are so essential to effectively living out God’s calling for our lives and ministry.

Let’s Do Something About It

The practices of solitude and fasting are long held tradition in the Christian church. They are effective soul-training. Henri Nouwen called such disciplines, ways to create space in our lives for God to work. Consider if it is time for you to spend some time fasting or in solitude.

·      Solitude: Schedule some time in the next week where you can spend at least ½ hour in complete solitude and silence. Take a walk, sit in your back yard, create a cozy corner in your home. Turn off the phone, the TV, the computer, all “noisy distractions.” Put a “do not disturb” sign on your front door. If time is important set a timer so that you don’t have to keep checking your watch.

1.     Spend the first few moments just quieting your mind. Have a paper & pencil close where you can jot down any “urgent” thoughts that rise up, so that you can release them.

2.     Try to visualize just you and the Lord in a beautiful, quiet, private, safe place. The point here is to just be with Him, to just experience His Presence with you.

3.     Don’t worry if you doze-off. The point is to draw close to Him. At the end of the time, thank Him for spending this time with you, and make a plan on when you will do it again.

4.     If you have had any impressions or insights during this time, jot them down in your journal.

·      Fasting: Consider setting aside an intentional time of fasting in the near future, whether it is for 1 meal, 24 hours, or several days.

1.     Make sure that you are physically healthy before fasting (if you have any doubts, ask your Dr.) Do not stop taking any medications according to instructions, and make sure to drink plenty of water during your fasting.

2.     Do not over-eat before you fast. Rather, the last meal you have before your fast should be light and healthy. During your fast, spend the times you would be eating reading the Bible, praying, worshipping, or journaling.

3.     Consider your “hunger pains” as calls to prayer.

4.     At the end of your fast, before your first meal, thank God for His provision during your fast. Consider journaling any insights you may have. And ask a special blessing upon your meal. Make sure this meal is light and healthy.

Filled

And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness Luke 4:1

            Jesus was filled by the Holy Spirit and then led by the Holy Spirit. How often have I prayed for the Spirit of God to lead me, direct my actions, guide my words, give me discernment, and on and on. And yet, I ignore or minimize the first part of this process: the necessity of being filled by the Spirit. Not “full of spirit” – oh, I can be as enthusiastic as the next guy, no, being filled with the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit. To fully respond to the Spirit of God I must be first filled with Him.

            Can we in fact scripturally determine that to the extent we are Spiritually led is directly reciprocal to the extent we are Spiritually filled? Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “… do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,” (Ephesians 5:18). The analogy is obvious. We’ve all seen the results when someone becomes so full of alcohol that the alcohol actually takes over their behavior. That is to the extent Paul encourages us to be filled with God’s Spirit – until it literally compels our words and actions and attitudes!

            But there is another nuance to Paul’s words. Scholars tell us that the Greek verb Paul uses for “be filled” actually means “be being filled.”  In other words, this is a constant and continual process. Before we ask for God’s guidance today, lets take a moment to examine the extent of our own ability to follow that guidance – our degree of Spiritual filling.

Let’s Do Something About It

·      Try and schedule a time in the very near future when you can spend a half-hour or more alone, in a quiet, comfortable place. Consider where you hear God best – in a church, outside, in a favorite room… intentionally pick a special “date place” with God.

·      In the quiet of that place, slowly and purposefully read Luke 4:1,

And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness

·      Prayerfully consider, how full of the Holy Spirit are you? How surrendered are you to His influence? How aware are you of His Presence in your life? Do your words, actions, attitudes, priorities reflect His?

·      Ask the Holy Spirit to make you aware of His Presence in you, and fill you anew.

·      Consider journaling your insights.

Preparation

…when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, Luke 3:21-22; 4:1-2

            From the Jordan to the wilderness. The scriptures tell us that immediately after His baptism, the Spirit drove (Mark 1:12) Jesus into the wilderness for a period of solitude and fasting and yes, temptation. There is in scripture, consistently a time of preparation before God acts.

·      Beginning in Genesis 1:1, the Spirit hovers over the void, preparing it to receive the creative Word of God

·      The Prophets consistently call for the people to “get ready” for God’s movement among them

·      The Baptizer’s call of “repentance” for the One who was coming

·      And even The Son, before His public ministry would begin, was compelled by the Spirit to an isolated time of preparation.

How many times do we, in our fervor, rush into ministry or service – fueled not by Spiritual compulsion, but giddy excitement or worse, a burning desire to not be left out, and then we wonder why we end up feeling over-committed, stressed out, and burned out? The Wilderness is not a place of fruitlessness, but a place of preparation. Listen to the Spirit. Discern His leading. Where are you being lead today?

Let’s Do Something About It

Prayerfully consider:

·      Where is the Spirit leading me today? Before heading out all willy nilly, spend a few moments in silence, detecting and discerning the Spirit’s movement in you soul. Then make your plans.

·      Do I have a sense of what God is preparing next for/in my life? What season am I in now? What season am I heading for? How am I prepared or preparing for God’s movement in my life?

A Simple Life Well-Lived

One day when the crowds were being baptized, Jesus himself was baptized. As he was praying, the heavens opened, and the Holy Spirit, in bodily form, descended on him like a dove. And a voice from heaven said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.”

Jesus was about thirty years old when he began his public ministry.  Luke 3:21-23

            Luke tells us that Jesus was about thirty years old when He “went public.” For almost thirty years, Jesus lived a simple, “normal,” life. Growing, learning, working, (See Luke 2:52) and living without spectacle or fame. Neighbor, son, brother, nephew… working as a carpenter in the family business (See Mark 6:3). The Word of God, in flesh, quietly living out a normal life,

            The remarkable thing about these two verses in Luke, is the order they come in.  Before the miracles, the signs, the wonders, the teaching, the disciples and followers, Jesus lived a life simply submitted to His parents (Luke 2:51) and to His Father in Heaven. And before the wonders, the signs, the miracles, the teaching, the disciples and the followers, Jesus was dearly loved by God and brought God great joy!

            It is so easy in our “15 minutes of fame” world to think that we must be spectacular to please God, but the order of these two verses shows otherwise! God is pleased – in fact, greatly joy-filled, by a quiet life, well lived, in submission to Him.

Let’s Do Something About It

Consider your faith goals. Do you sometimes feel like you have to do something spectacular in order to bring glory to God? Confess these feelings, and ask the Holy Spirit to show you how you can bring great joy to the Lord today, by simply and quietly being the Word of God to those around you.

Counter Culture

John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”

            “What should we do then?” the crowd asked.

John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.”

            Even tax collectors came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?”

            “Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them.

            Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?”             

He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.”  Luke 3:7-14

            John’s message was really quite contrary! Contrary to the religion of the time, contrary to the culture of the time, contrary to the work ethics of the time. His challenge to the people was to live contrary lives that countered the effects of their culture. He challenged their sense of “religious entitlement” – the idea that because they belonged to the “right religion” they were entitled to God’s favor.  He challenged their lifestyle of having more than they needed while others went without. He challenged their work ethics that exploited others because they weren’t content with what God was providing them.

            John’s message was simple – don’t put on a show of holiness, live your faith. John’s challenge was no less than to live contrary to culture. It’s the same challenge we have today. To follow the Way of Christ means to live counter-culturally.  It means living a life of caring about and for others and being content with what we have.

Let’s Do Something About It

Consider the four areas of John’s message: religious entitlement, lifestyle, integrity, and contentment. Prayerfully ask God to show you how you can take steps in your life to live counter-culturally in these four areas. Journal your insights as a reminder and an encouragement for you to “produce fruit in keeping with repentance.”

Hearts Prepared

And he [John the Baptizer]went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet,

             “The voice of one crying in the wilderness:

             ‘Prepare the way of the Lord,

                        make his paths straight.            

Every valley shall be filled,

                        and every mountain and hill shall be made low,

             and the crooked shall become straight,

                        and the rough places shall become level ways,            

and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’” Luke 3:3-6

            John’s life purpose, as prophesied in Luke 1, was to prepare the peoples’ hearts for the arrival of the Messiah. He came to reveal the crookedness of their life-paths, the emptiness in their souls, the obstacles of their lifestyle, the coarseness of their attitudes so that they could receive the Christ and the message of redemption, forgiveness, mercy and grace.

            It is true that Christ accepts us “just as I am” – but unless we truly can acknowledge and admit our need for a Savior, and our willingness to submit to a radically different way of thinking and living, we will never be able to completely embrace what He brings. Consider the bent pathways, the roadblocks, the coarse attitudes of your life today. Look deep into your soul – where does the Savior need to fill in, level out, straightened up, or smooth over? Acknowledge it, admit it, and submit to the Father’s loving, cleansing, healing, and yes purging Hand. Don’t settle for surface grace today!

Let’s Do Something About It

·      Set aside some time today to truly look at the pathway your life is on. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the valleys, the mountains, the coarseness, and/or the curving, twisting roads of your life.

·      Sincerely acknowledge the truth of the condition of your life and ask God to begin the work of filling the emptiness, leveling the obstacles, untying the knots, and smoothing the rough places in your life, your relationships, your attitudes, in every area of your being.

·      Consider jotting down the key points that God shows you as a reminder and encouragement as this process unfolds in your life.