1 Thessalonians 5: 19-21
Do not quench the Spirit...test everything....hold fast what is good...flee from what is evil. I read, ponder, and pray on those words and I'm drawn to the Spirit living inside me; the Spirit that Jesus referred to when He said He had to leave so the Spirit could come. I ponder and pray on that and I'm drawn to how the Spirit groans in us; one of the reasons He groans is because He sees and feels us going against God's will and He is trying to correct us. Thus, the point of this writing.
Again, I'm working under the assumption that if one believes in Christ, he wants to follow Him well. To do anything well takes practice and practicing well takes a good discipline of evaluation and correction. Practicing Christianity well is different only in the aspect that it is the most important aspect of an evaulation and correction process, or discipline.
Many authors have touched on this discipline, most recently Jim Collins with the Hedgehog (Good to Great) and Dennis Bakke's "robust evaluation and correction" (Joy at Work). Years ago I heard Max Anders, senior pastor at Grace Covenant Church, give a sermon where he talked extensively about looking back over your shoulder periodically to review how well your walk with Christ had been.
I like the "robust evaluation and correction" thing, but with some twists.
In the Navy, I was on a submarine and while a radioman, I was a bit intrigued with sonar. We had different types, but primarily passive and active. Active was the type you hear about in movies when the captain orders for a "ping;" the sonarman sends the single pulse (ping) out and then listens for the return. He can then evaluates the distance from the target. Passive sonar is simply listening for threats. In either case, once a sound is recognized, the captain would evaluate and take the necessary action. We would be out at sea for weeks at a time and someone would be in the sonar room at all times....listening and paying attention.
Practicing Christianity well requires a good discipline of listening, paying attention, evaluation and correction when those pings come back at us, whether invited (active), or passive (uninvited);
- Pay attention to what is going on around you at all times.
- Ask questions about how you are doing - listen to the answers
- Be purposeful about your life; have a mission and a plan to carry it out.
- Be aware that everyone has blind spots and you can't see them from where you are at - that is why they are called blind spots.
- Pray for the Holy Spirit to talk to you and be involved in your valuation and correction - this is where the real ROBUSTness kicks in. The bible tells us He is groaning inside us , wanting to help. We just need to listen and pay attention.
- Don't ignore pingings we hear coming through our hulls.
Lord God, I pray that I listen to you today. I pray that I pay attention to where I am at and what you want me to do - right here. Give me the wisdom and discernment to recognize the corrections that need to be made in my life. Help me to accept those evaluations and move towards the corrections. Help me to see the blind spots and remove them. You are good and gracious and your mercy is boundless. You never said our lives would be easy and I pray that I am listening and paying attention to my surroundings, that I allow the Holy Spirit to work in my life. Blessed by your name, that I honor your name. Amen
To that end.....
