It all starts
with the Spirit
When you
open your eyes first thing in the morning, what is your initial thought? What
you’re having for breakfast? Unfinished work from the office yesterday? Today’s
appointments? Or will you say thanks to the Heavenly Father who looked after
you the whole previous day? Will you have a moment of sweet discourse with God
first? Before enjoying a meal for the flesh, will you first receive the
spiritual nourishment? Will you communicate with the Heavenly Father and the Lord
Jesus Christ before talking to others?
God is the
measure of your whole day. This writer hopes that the brothers and sisters can
adopt a lifetime habit of daily devotions. Enjoy communion with the Lord each
morning. Listen to, meditate on, and learn His words so as to know God. The
following are some things we should take note of when doing devotion:
Start
with spiritual life: “The Spirit gives
life; the flesh counts for nothing.” (John 6:63) Jesus meant that the
most important part of a person is his spirit, and not his body. When man has
the spirit of Jesus Christ (life), then he can speak of spiritual growth and
maturity. When his heart is not clogged up with sin, then he can speak of togetherness
with and communion with God. Looking from an everlasting (time) and eternal
(value) point of view, the conclusion and necessities of the spirit far
outweigh the conclusion and necessities of the body. Therefore, we must care
more for the needs of our spiritual lives, and a life of daily devotion is the
first step to nurturing the growth of the spiritual life. We tend towards
abiding by the needs of the flesh and neglecting the needs of the spiritual
life. This writer hopes that everyone will have the wisdom to judge which side
has the greater value, the wit to arrange the priorities and order of everyday
life, and the determination to pay the price to seek the growth of spiritual
life. If we have the will to seek God, He will add to our strength.
Start
with spiritual communion: Spiritual communion means that we will find one or more
quiet periods every day to communicate with our Heavenly Father, to pour out
our hearts to Him in prayer. A life of private prayer in an inner chamber is
the life line to the growth of our spiritual lives. This writer earnestly
encourages members when praying in an inner chamber to speak out loud in
petition, thanksgiving, exaltation, lamentation or intercession etc., and utter
your innermost feelings and thoughts to the Father in words. If we just pray
silently in our hearts, our thoughts may easily wander. Especially when we are
entangled by worldly concerns, it is difficult to focus in silent prayer. The
advantage to praying aloud even in private is that we can concentrate our thoughts,
and are incidentally training to pray in public. When praying to God, it is not
necessary to continuously express our wants and needs. Sometimes we should be
quiet for a while so as to wait for the Holy Spirit to speak to us, and learn
to pray with our spirit and our mind. “Come
near to God and He will come near to you.” (James 4:8)
Start with spiritual nourishment: “The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they
are life.” (John 6:63) The life of the flesh is maintained by earthly food; the
spirit is maintained by spiritual food. The Bible is spiritual food; acceptance
of and obedience to its teachings cause the life of God within us to gradually
grow. There are several ways to read the Bible: e.g. speed reading, analytical
reading and devotional reading. Devotional reading emphasizes studiousness and not
volume or speed. It focuses on details and meditation, and the need to contemplate
again and again in the mind and deliberate on the passage’s meaning. May the
Holy Spirit bestow wisdom and comprehension so that we can understand God’s
words, and also reveal the significance and application of the passages to us. Wait
in peace, maintain a humble heart that’s willing to learn, be self-reflective
before God, and then make the appropriate response, such as thanksgiving,
praise, admission of sin, repentance, or dedication etc.
This writer prays that God will use the above
admonitions to inspire the brothers and sisters to focus on their devotional
lives. Even if it means starting from zero, there should be a start. “In the
morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you
and wait in expectation.” (Psalm 5:3)
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