Day 38 - Kuwait
Sunday is a great day around here. It always starts with breakfast, moves on to church and ends with me doing something about my laundry. Today's sermon was another bullseye to my heart. It was titled, "How to Know God More". The chaplain didn't have one text; instead, he demonstrated inductively how to go about knowing God more. Here are the notes:
Obstacles to Knowing God More
- Seeking worldly ideals (peer pressure)
- Self-sufficiency (sinfulness)
- Losing sight of our priorities (busyness)
- Getting caught off guard (life)
- Poor personal leadership (entitlement)
- Laziness (making comfort our priority)
Think Differently! 1 Corinthians 3:19, 2 Corinthians 10:3, Romans 12:2, Colossians 2:20, Colossians 3:2
Four Steps to Thinking Differently:
1. Pursue holiness, not happiness - Happiness is an empty pursuit. Happiness will only be achieved as a byproduct of a more noble, more fulfilling pursuit.
- 1 Peter 2:14, 1 Thessalonians 4:7, Jude 20, Hebrews 12:14
2. Pursue righteousness, not riches - Do we want God like we want oxygen?
- Matthew 5:6, 1 Timothy 6:10-11, 2 Timothy 2:22, Proverbs 21:21
3. Pursue service, not status - "The trouble is that too many people are spending money they haven't yet earned to buy things they don't need to impress people they don't like."
- Ephesians 6:7, John 12:26, Philippians 2:5-7
4. Vow to possess nothing
- Matthew 5:3, Matthew 16:24-25, 1 John 2:15-17
As I reflected on the sermon I came to some startling conclusions:
1. I am pursuing neither holiness nor happiness. To be sure, I strive to make good choices, but I am not pursuing. "If I do or if I don't" seems a dishearteningly accurate way to describe my approach, or lack thereof.
2. I don't have that craving for God like I do for oxygen. If God is the Ultimate Reality, then I ought to be gripped by the need to consciously enjoy every moment in his presence.
3. One for the plus column...or is it? How many times have I described my service in a manner to elevate my status? Worse, how many times have I pursued service for the sake of status?
4. The last one has inspired a re-read of Haggai and a renewed commitment to proper and consistent tithing.
Suffice to say the rest of the day was spent quietly. I didn't bother with laundry; I'll just get it done at my brother's house on Wednesday.
Like the Israelites before me, I find myself in the desert for a similar reason. I pray that God continues his work on my heart out here.
Obstacles to Knowing God More
- Seeking worldly ideals (peer pressure)
- Self-sufficiency (sinfulness)
- Losing sight of our priorities (busyness)
- Getting caught off guard (life)
- Poor personal leadership (entitlement)
- Laziness (making comfort our priority)
Think Differently! 1 Corinthians 3:19, 2 Corinthians 10:3, Romans 12:2, Colossians 2:20, Colossians 3:2
Four Steps to Thinking Differently:
1. Pursue holiness, not happiness - Happiness is an empty pursuit. Happiness will only be achieved as a byproduct of a more noble, more fulfilling pursuit.
- 1 Peter 2:14, 1 Thessalonians 4:7, Jude 20, Hebrews 12:14
2. Pursue righteousness, not riches - Do we want God like we want oxygen?
- Matthew 5:6, 1 Timothy 6:10-11, 2 Timothy 2:22, Proverbs 21:21
3. Pursue service, not status - "The trouble is that too many people are spending money they haven't yet earned to buy things they don't need to impress people they don't like."
- Ephesians 6:7, John 12:26, Philippians 2:5-7
4. Vow to possess nothing
- Matthew 5:3, Matthew 16:24-25, 1 John 2:15-17
As I reflected on the sermon I came to some startling conclusions:
1. I am pursuing neither holiness nor happiness. To be sure, I strive to make good choices, but I am not pursuing. "If I do or if I don't" seems a dishearteningly accurate way to describe my approach, or lack thereof.
2. I don't have that craving for God like I do for oxygen. If God is the Ultimate Reality, then I ought to be gripped by the need to consciously enjoy every moment in his presence.
3. One for the plus column...or is it? How many times have I described my service in a manner to elevate my status? Worse, how many times have I pursued service for the sake of status?
4. The last one has inspired a re-read of Haggai and a renewed commitment to proper and consistent tithing.
Suffice to say the rest of the day was spent quietly. I didn't bother with laundry; I'll just get it done at my brother's house on Wednesday.
Like the Israelites before me, I find myself in the desert for a similar reason. I pray that God continues his work on my heart out here.
