This week our soul-nourishment centers around what we center our lives around. You will see that theme present in the scripture and book quotes, with our author stressing that the soul needs to center itself on something – and that something is supposed to be God, of course. That is easier said than done; but in God this is possible. Here’s the first excerpt:

We are limited in virtually every way: in our intelligence, our strength, our energy, our morality. There is only one area where human beings are unlimited... we always want more: More time, more wisdom, more beauty, more funny YouTube videos. 

This is the soul crying out... The unlimited neediness of the soul matches the unlimited grace of God. Our soul’s problem, however, is not its neediness; it's our fallen-ness. Our need was meant to point us to God. Instead, we fasten our minds and bodies and wills on other sources of ultimate devotion, which the Bible calls idolatry...

We all commit idolatry every day. It is the sin of the soul meeting its needs with anything that distances it from God.
-- Soul Keeping, John Ortberg, pp. 82, 83

James 1:13-15

When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

Invoking God onto our Week

We step into this week celebrating You, Father, for whom our souls exist;

We celebrate You, Jesus, who brings healing to our souls;

We celebrate You, Spirit, who nurtures our oft-battered souls with the life-giving Word of God;

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Matthew 22:34-38

Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?

”Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.”

What jumps out at you from this Bible reading? Ask God why…

People in churches - including pastors -- have been crushed with guilt over their failure at having a regular quiet time or daily devotions. And then, even when they do, they find it does not actually lead to a healthy soul. Your problem is not the first fifteen minutes of the day. It's the next twenty-three hours and forty-five minutes. You must arrange your days so that you are experiencing total contentment, joy, and confidence in your everyday life with God.
-- Soul Keeping, Ortberg, p. 89

Lord God, I pray in the name of Jesus that I may plumb the depths of my heart and give you residence there; I pray that I may see my mind renewed by your Holy Spirit, enabled to focus on you all the more; I pray that my soul both thirsts for and finds contentment in you alone, that you might rightly receive all the love of my heart, my mind, and my soul. Amen.

Be the Center

Michael Frye

Jesus, be the center
Be my source, be my light Jesus Jesus, be the center
Be my hope, be my song Jesus
Be the fire in my heart
Be the wind in these sails
Be the reason that I live Jesus, Jesus

Deuteronomy 4:9 ESV

Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children's children…

We live in a world that teaches us to be more concerned with the condition of our cars, or our careers, or our portfolios than the condition of our souls. Maybe because a dent in the soul is more easily concealed than a dented car. Maybe because a dented soul is harder to fix. After a while, the dents pile up, and they stop bothering us. We hardly notice. One more dent isn't going to make much difference.

The keeper of your soul is responsible for its dents. You are the keeper of your soul... an unhealthy soul is like a cancer in the community.

I care for my soul because if it becomes unhealthy, it will infect others. You have seen it happen. Someone comes to the office in a foul mood and it casts its spell on everyone... I keep my soul carefully because I want to bring life and not death to those around me.
-- Soul Keeping, John Ortberg, pp. 95-97

Remember: Take five to ten minutes a day to stop and listen, to connect with God in music. Let the Holy Spirit use it to feed your soul.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

In a sense we have two worlds to manage: An outer world of career and possessions and social networks; and an inner world that is more spiritual in nature, where values are selected and character is formed - a place where worship and confession and humility can be practiced. Because our outer worlds are visible and measurable and expandable, they are easier to deal with. They demand our attention. The result is that our private world is often cheated, neglected because it does not shout quite so loudly. It can be effectively ignored for large periods of time before it gives way to a sinkhole-like cave-in.
-- Soul Keeping, John Ortberg, pp. 99, 100

Oh yes, Father, we have an outer world that constantly puts pressure on our inner world, often leading to sacrifice or compromise of the heart and soul’s desire to put you first no matter what. Help us to not lose heart, but to stay strong in the midst of life’s busyness, keeping the eyes of our hearts and minds stayed on you, the unseen yet eternal Father of All. Let us encourage one another in these matters, knowing two is better than one, and a strand of three is not easily broken.

Amen.

Yielding to the Holy Spirit

Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would remind his disciples of what he taught; that same Spirit lives in us and helps us too. And that helpful advice and direction goes much better when we yield to Him – in devotions and the rest of life itself.

Habakkuk 2:4

“See, the enemy is puffed up; his desires are not upright—
but the righteous person will live by his faithfulness—

The soul without a center finds its identity in externals. My temptation when my soul is not centered on God is to try to control my life. In the Bible this is spoken of in terms of lifting of one's soul. The prophet Habakkuk said that the opposite of living in faithful dependence on God is to lift your soul up in pride. The psalmist says that the person who can live in God's presence is the one who has not lifted their soul up to an idol. When my soul is not centered in God, I define myself by my accomplishments, or my physical appearance, or my title, or my important friends. When I lose this, I lose my identity.
-- Soul Keeping, John Ortberg, p. 103

Father God, I don’t want my soul searching for its identity in other things or people, but solely in you. I want to know my place, humbly and confidently – your child by your grace through faith in your son Jesus as my Lord. 

Let this truth define me and enable me to soar on wings like eagles, to run and not grow weary, to walk and not faint.

From the depths of my soul I pray this in Jesus’ name,

Amen.

Dallas Willard, (1935-2013)
Professor of Philosophy a USC, author

Known for his understanding of spiritual disciplines, Dallas penned such books as The Spirit of the Disciplines: Understanding How God Changes Lives and In Search of Guidance: Developing a Conversational Relationship with God. 

He saw passivity as a major problem in the Church, apparent in his comment: "Grace is not opposed to effort (action), it is opposed to earning (attitude)". He pushed the importance of being intentional as a disciple of Jesus, learning what aids spiritual transformation into the likeness of Christ. 

Think of activities like prayer, service, fellowship, study, simplicity, fasting, etc. The effectiveness of these efforts (actions) could be seen in the fruits of the Spirit: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).

Every church needs to be able to answer two questions.

First, what is our plan for making disciples?

And second, does our plan work?

~ Dallas Willard

Psalm 63:6-8

On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. I cling to you; your right hand upholds me. 

When we reach out to God, we are lifting our souls up to be nurtured and healed. A soul centered in God always knows it has a heavenly Father who will hold its pain, its fear, its anxiety. This is spiritual life: To place the soul each moment in the presence and the care of God. "My soul cleaves to you, your right hand upholds me."
-- Soul Keeping, John Ortberg, page 104

Hebrews 12:15

See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.

If I choose to live in bitterness, or to indulge lust, or to deceive my wife, I am choosing to keep God out of my thoughts. Conversely, when I center my soul on God, I am less likely to sin. I'm not likely to speed if I see a squad car; I'm not likely to play video games at work if my boss is watching; I'm not likely to sin while God is present to my mind. It is not just that God is always watching and always knows the condition of our hearts; it's our knowing that he is there.
-- Soul Keeping, John Ortberg, p. 105

Thank you, Father God, for the blessings of people who helped bring your grace into my life (think of parents, friends, teachers, pastors). 

Thank you also for the privilege of bringing your grace to bear in the lives of those around me. I’m glad to serve on your team. 

I pray in this moment for an increase of the blessing of forgiveness and for a decrease in the destructive root of bitterness. Weed out any bitterness in me; weed out any bitterness in my family and friends. 

Let forgiveness flourish as we reflect your kind heart and gracious spirit in our daily lives. I ask this in Jesus’ name, 

Amen.