Author: St Paul

About two weeks ago, I heard someone say, “I dabble at it from time to time.  I’m really a novice at heart.”  What she meant was her hobby was somewhat important but not enough for her to devote any real time to it.  How many times have you said, “I’ll give it a go” but knowing full well you will not take it seriously?  If you look at my life, I would be “guilty as charged.”  I have started a number of hobbies only to find them fall by the wayside.

Our society today is filled with religious dabble.  Faith-life sounds good on the surface and when it is convenient.  People want a little religion on the top but not a lot.  Once when living in a different city than today, I had someone tell me, I don’t want to read the bible daily because I don’t want to be a Jesus-fanatic.  Said differently, I will dabble with Jesus but don’t want to be serious with my faith.

In Luke 23, King Herod was a dabbler.  “When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased, because for a long time he had been wanting to see him.  From what he had heard about him, he hoped to see him perform a sign of some sort” (Chapter 23:8-9).

Disciples are not dabblers.  To follow Jesus means to adopt a lifestyle, to buy in, to do more than dabble. Discipleship is more than surface level spirituality and religiosity. Discipleship takes place below the surface.  When Jesus was asked about discipleship (thus explaining the difference between discipleship and dabble) he said, “take up my cross and follow me.”

It is easy to dabble – but it never leads to discipleship.  Jesus desires disciples not dabblers.

This week’s reading:

• Monday – Acts 7
• Tuesday – Acts 8
• Wednesday – Acts 9
• Thursday – Acts 10
• Friday – Acts 11

Please Pray for:

• Our Nation and Our Leaders
• The St. Paul Ministers and Staff family
• High School & College Seniors preparing for graduation
• The Unwillingly absent members
• Building Renovations, Modifications, and Phase 3: Construction of New Youth Building and rear parking

Many of you know my fondness for ancient prayers.  A fan of church history, I delight in studying those who have gone before us in hope of drawing strength from their lives.  Many of the saints overcame dire situations.  They modeled faith-in-action.  Francois de Fenelon, a French priest, prayed this prayer:

“Lord, you began to perfect your apostles by taking away from them the very thing they didn’t think they could do without the actual presence of Jesus.  You destroy in order to build.  You take away everything in order to restore it many times over.  This is the way you work.  You do it differently than we would do it.

Once Christ was gone, you sent the Holy Spirit.  Sometimes lacking is more powerful than having.  Blessed are those who are deprived of everything.  Blessed are those from whom Jesus is removed.  The Holy Spirit, the Comforter, will come to them.  He will comfort their sorrows and wipe away their tears.

But Lord, why isn’t my life filled with this Spirit?  It ought to be the soul of my soul, but isn’t.  I feel nothing. I see nothing.  I am both physically and spiritually lazy.  My feeble will is torn between you and a thousand meaningless pleasures.  Where is your Spirit?  Will it ever arrive and create in me a pure heart?  

Now I understand!  Your Holy Spirit desires to live in an impoverished soul.  Therefore, come Holy Spirit!  There is no place emptier than my heart.  Come and bring peace.”

The honesty in this prayer is refreshing.  Often when we acknowledge the great need of our soul, the constant struggle in seeking fulfillment with any-and-all-things only to be disappointed, we are reduced.  We are humbled.  It is then that we find ourselves ready to receive God’s Spirit. “Come Holy Spirit!  Come and bring peace!”

 

This week’s reading:

• Monday – Acts 2
• Tuesday – Acts 3
• Wednesday – Acts 4
• Thursday – Acts 5
• Friday – Acts 6

Please Pray for:

• Our Nation and Our Leaders
• The St. Paul Ministers and Staff family
• High School & College Seniors preparing for graduation
• The Unwillingly absent members
• Phase 3 (Construction of New Youth Building)