... and in Health ...
Building momentum together, consecrating our lives to God following traditional wedding vows.
Almost 30 years ago I made my vows to God, consecrating my life to follow Jesus come what may. Almost 50 years ago, I made my vows to my husband, agreeing to be united to him come what may. In these defining moments, I had no idea how my promises were going to challenge me and change me. This is the seventh post in a series examining traditional wedding vows and applying them to our heavenly marriage.
In case you missed the previous posts, here are the links:
“ … and in health …”
When we were young and healthy and blossoming in our careers, we didn’t invest in the future. It was easy to float through life, being busy and focused on the present without contemplating the future. If I gave any thought to how we would live in retirement, I probably thought we wouldn’t need much when we were old. I made assumptions that as an older person I wouldn’t care about getting new clothes or living in a nice place and I probably wouldn’t want to travel. But one day the thought hit me - some day my older self is going to be really mad at my younger self!
I was living as if today was my only concern. That was quickly reversed as we began to steadily invest for the future. Today we are living in the fruit of our early days of saving and loving our younger selves!
In my marriage to Jesus, the same principles apply. Some day I will stand before Him in heaven and He and I will review my investments in my spiritual life. Just praying the prayer to receive Jesus 30 years ago was merely the beginning of a lifelong process of living my faith. God’s word urges us to “work out our salvation.” Of course, the Spirit causes me to grow, but I must cooperate and follow the many guidelines in Scripture too.
On that day, I will bow before Him and present Him with my spiritual maturity, my spiritual fruit, my love and devotion. I believe Jesus will be far more concerned with these qualities than with my accomplishments as a Christian leader, speaker, or author.
I can picture this tender moment now. I will bow at His feet and hold the sum total of my spiritual life in my outstretched hands as a gift to Him. Will I have regrets at the weight of my gifts to Him? What will I have to offer Him? Will I hear, “Well done, my faithful servant?”
The following are just a few ways to be intentional about your relationship with God. These are often very helpful in difficult times, but can reap great benefits in the healthy times. Consider them investments in that day.
How healthy am I? Daily Examen
This year I’ve taken a deep dive into some ancient spiritual practices that I had missed in my religious tradition. I have been wowed by the depth of wisdom and reverence in these practices.
The Daily Examen is one of them. It’s a centuries old practice of prayerful reflection on the events of the day in order to detect God’s presence and discern his direction for us. Ignatius was the originator of this practice, and he believed that the Examen was a gift that came directly from God and that He wanted it to be shared as widely as possible. How blessed we are that we still have access to this resource!
There are five steps to this practice, which can be done in just 10-15 minutes at the end of a day. The benefits that I see in this practice is to raise my awareness of my own failures and to keep a short account with God.
Welcome God’s Presence
Begin by welcoming God into this review of your day, asking Him for guidance, insight, and direction.
Consolations
Review your day, paying attention to moments of joy, wholeness, closeness to God. Give thanks. Take time to explore any moments that stand out to you, naming the feeling you felt.
Desolations
Review your day again, this time paying attention to moments of disconnection, apathy, sorrow, anger, or fear. Take time to explore any moments that stand out to you and try to name the feeling you were having.
Reponse
Is there anything you need to confess? Where do you need grace? This may not be an action, but an attitude of the heart, or perhaps a lie you’ve believed.
Prayer of Confession
If needed, you may conclude your time with God by praying this prayer or a similar one in your own words: “Almighty God, our Heavenly Father, I have sinned against you and my neighbor through my own fault. In thought, in word, in deed, in what I have done or failed to do. For the sake of Your Son, Jesus Christ, forgive me all my offenses. And grant that I may serve you in newness of life, to the glory of Your name. Amen
Slow Reading of Scripture. Lectio Divina
Years ago I jumped on the bandwagon of reading through the Bible in a year. While that gave me a good overall understanding of Scripture and the history of God’s plan for man, I felt it lacked depth.
In 2016 I was going through a really tough family situation, and I had no time or emotional energy to keep up the practice. Instead, I just read Psalm 23 every day. For six months. Over and over again, day after day, six verses for six months. What happened astounded me. Every space around and between those words in my Bible is chock full of notes. I gained a new appreciation of the depth of God’s word and how soothing it could be to my soul.
Lectio Divina is a centuries old practice meaning divine reading. Its aim is to be mastered and challenged by the Word of God. To contemplate or meditate means to reverently, attentively, and deeply read the Word with the belief that God has a unique word for you in your own situation. It is a slow reading of Scripture.
Simply choose a short passage of Scripture and follow these steps. A good place to start would be a story from the gospels, for instance, Matthew 14:22-33. Last summer I started going through the book of John in little doses and journaling each step. I’m not done yet! LOL
Prepare (Silencio)
Take a few moments and still yourself, get in a comfortable position, take a few deep breaths and focus on God. You might say a simple prayer, inviting God into this moment with you. If you find your mind wandering, you can say, “Jesus, I am here.” and repeat this as many times as you need to settle yourself.
Read (Lectio)
Read the passage slowly and carefully. It helps if you can do this out loud. The purpose is to familiarize yourself with the story, what it meant to the people in the story. See it as an act in a play. Listen for a nudge from God. What words or images is the Spirit drawing you toward? Is there a character you identify with? Is there a moment in the story that captures your attention or makes you wonder? Journal your thoughts.
Meditate (Meditatio)
Re-read the passage, lingering over the person/word/phrase that captured your attention. Let your imagination engage with the text. What are the characters thinking or feeling? How might it intersect with your life today? What or who does it bring to your mind? Notice the feelings you have about this passage. Do you feel attraction or resistance? Invite the Spirit to reveal how this passage might be speaking to your life today. Jot down your thoughts.
Pray (Oratio)
Read through the passage again, allowing the Scripture to lead you into a prayer/response to God. Talk to God about what has come to mind, and how he might be inviting you to respond. Are you feeling led to praise him? To repent? To ask for help or healing? It will help to focus your thought by journaling.
Contemplate (Contemplatio)
Simply be still. Expect nothing. Rest in the awareness of God’s presence and his approval. Stay open to anything else the Spirit might stir in your heart. If your mind wanders, gently redirect your thoughts to God. Enjoy a moment of fellowship with God that goes deeper than words. Relax in this moment with God and know you are loved.
Thank you for reading Momentum with Deb Potts. This post is public and if it is resonating with you please consider sharing in case it might resonate with someone else who would like more spiritual momentum.
Learn to recognize God’s voice.
I’m sure I have heard God’s voice many times when I wasn’t aware it was Him. I would think I had that bright idea! Now that I recognize His voice better, I smile when I think of how He guided me so many years ago.
Learning to recognize God’s voice has been a process for me, one that I learned under the teaching of a Prayer Guide in my church and in reading some of the Christian classics. The process seems to go slowly, and it can feel pretty mundane when you don’t hear anything. Remember that your time with the Lord is in great part a sowing for your future. Sowing can be boring! We work so hard to plant seeds, and then nothing is seen for months. Consider the words of Bob Sorge, who authored a great book on the subject.
“We live in a culture that evaluates its priorities based upon immediate results. The voices of the world are demanding that we produce. Now! The race to produce can rob us of investing properly in the secret place… What we sow today will require an entire season of growth before the results are manifest.” Bob Sorge, Secrets of the Secret Place
We often turn to prayer and listening to God when we are in trouble, right? I remember on 9/11 after the twin towers in NYC were demolished. Churches filled overnight, social media suddenly became a holy place, and US lawmakers of both parties joined hands on the Capitol steps to pray. But we are fickle people, and when the emergency is over, we quickly go back to our old habits. Here’s what Dallas Willard had to say about our fickle nature.
“The doleful reality is that very few human beings really do concretely desire to hear what God has to say to them. This is shown by how rarely we listen for his voice when we are not in trouble or when we are not being faced with a decision that we do not know how to handle. People who understand and warmly desire to hear God’s voice will, by contrast, want to hear it when life is uneventful just as much as when they are facing trouble or big decisions.” Dallas Willard, Hearing God
Yearning for Heaven
If you are in a season of good health, that’s awesome! But know that your good health is not about you. You are blessed so that you will have the energy and focus to continue God’s work. Keep watch, work out your salvation with trembling and fear. Don’t get caught unaware. There’s no room for complacency! When we are sick, in a trial, there may not be time or energy to pursue a contemplative life. Make the best use of your time when things are good and you are healthy. It will pay dividends later on.
Questions to Consider when I’m in good health
Evaluations are done in the workplace regularly. They are beneficial because they allow us to recognize our flaws and work on them to improve. When is the last time you considered an evaluation of your spiritual life? The incredible thing about God is that no matter what your flaws, you are in no danger of getting let go from Heaven once you have made the decision to follow Jesus.
We invest in the future in so many ways. How are you investing in your spiritual health now for possible difficult times ahead?
What is your honest response to the idea that hard study and thinking about basic issues of faith is commanded by God, as the way of loving Him with our mind? Surprise? Gladness? Discouragement?
Scripture to Memorize
This month, write these words on your heart by repeating them at least once a day. Use whatever translation you're comfortable with. This one is from the NASB translation. Reading scripture in various translations is helpful to me. God’s holy word deserves to be savored and slowly digested.
For all our days have declined in Your fury; we have finished our years like a sigh. As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years, or if due to strength, eighty years. Yet their pride is but labor and sorrow, for soon is it gone and we fly away. Who understands the power of Your anger and Your fury, according to the fear that is due You? So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom.
Psalms 90: 9-12 NASB
Worship Music
Chosen just for you to enjoy and reflect on the richness of a healthy relationship with God. This is an oldie but goodie - some of the old hymns still echo in my heart.
Next Week
Next week ( or thereabouts :)) will be the “ … until death do us unite …” post. One more post to go as we finish up a deeper dive into the traditional wedding vows and how they can be applied to our marriage in Heaven.
We hope you enjoyed this devotional from my heart to yours. Join the community if you haven’t already, and feel free to share it with a friend.