Empty.
Completely empty.
No glimmer,
No hope,
No peace,
No joy.
Void of happiness,
Void of pain,
Void of everything,
Void of Light.
Empty.
Completely empty.
But there is Hope,
There is Peace,
There is Love,
There is a Way,
There is a Light.
Fullness.
Completely Jesus.
Though I have a lot of my plate right now, EPIC, Grad class, family, etc., I have been reading, just for personal development, the book, Discipleship Counseling by Neil Anderson. I have been a student of Dr. Anderson for quite some time and have always enjoyed his biblical approach to the counseling process. In this recent book a quote caught my attention om relation to how we, in the church, often use secular reasoning to deal with spiritual issues,
Have we taken into account the reality of the spiritual world? In other words, do we have a biblical worldview? Are our struggles against flesh and blood? Are we trying to accomplish God’s will without the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit? Is the person mentally ill, or is there a spiritual battle going on for this individual’s mind? Do we us the same message and methods with believers as we do with non-believers? Are we trying to help people establish their identities, find purpose and meaning in life, and see to meet their needs without Christ? Isn’t that what the devil is doing? Sobering!
I have had a lot of opportunities to meet with students and parents recently over a number of different issues and yet, almost every time, I find myself reverting to secular practices to deal with spiritual issues. I have tried so hard to make my psychological schooling match my spiritual needs. This is not going to work. Though I see to help others, there is no one outside of the Holy Spirit, that can change their life–no one!!! Not even me! I am not, nor can I be, anyone’s Savior. All I can do is point that person to Jesus Christ and help encourage them to be open to the Holy Spirit. I am thankful for this reminder. My desire is that this would continue to be at the forefront of my mind.
On Sunday night, we challenged our EPIC students concerning their heart and worship. We used Matthew 6.19-24, as our foundational passage—Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also!!!!
Most of us, including myself, say that Jesus is #1 in our life but upon careful and honest examination, we see that we don’t live as though he is.
One test we used @ EPIC was asking our students who had with them something that told others they belonged to Jesus? Answers could have been, Bible, cross necklace, etc. Except for a few who brought their own Bible, the majority of the group had nothing that set them apart as being claimed by Jesus.
I was especially challenged when I realized that I would NEVER leave my house without my wallet and especially my cell phone but I NEVER carry my Bible with me when I just run errands around town or head out with friends to dinner.
Why am I afraid to take Jesus with me? And if I am not afraid, why don’t I make a practice of it?
How did you take Jesus with you today—in a visible way?
