FCC's 40 Days of Purpose!
If you have any questions or remarks regarding the daily readings from The Purpose Driven Life, topics discussed in worship, or Don's reflections here - or if you have something you would like for Don to comment on in his remarks - feel free to e-mail Don at dmorrow@fccbentonville.com
Week 2: YOU WERE PLANNED FOR GOD'S PLEASURE
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DAY 8: Planned for God's Pleasure
Anything you do that brings pleasure to God is an act of worship (PDL p.64)... Worship ain't just for Sundays anymore! In fact, it never was! All of life can and should be an act of worship. God made you for joy - both for God's joy and for your own. In fact, once we learn to live in God's joy and for God's joy, we discover that our joy has also increased beyond measure.
I want to highlight a couple of interesting points Warren makes in today's reading. First, his comments about music are exactly right. It really makes no difference what kind of music we use to worship God, as long as that music is listened to, sung, and played for God's glory. And that extends beyond just the music. Churches regularly get caught up in what I call "worship wars" over what kind of style they want their worship to be. Often people who visit worship services that are, for instance, highly technological and different from the kind of worship they are accustomed to, say things like "It just didn't feel like church to me." We need to be careful how we define and think about "church" and "worship" - because what it should be about is how it makes God feel, not how it makes us feel! (To be fair, how we feel does effect how God feels... but the point is that the primary focus of worship has to be upon God, not upon the congregants.)
I also love what Warren says about turning our everyday activities and lives into acts of worship (p.67). As Colossians 3:23 says, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men." It's not what you do, it's who you do it for! So do everything as though you were doing it for God. That's a challenge sometimes. It's hard to take the trash out for God - but it can be done, if at all times you are keeping the lines of communication open, keeping that constant conversation going with God. Find ways to be thankful, even in the mundane things - thank God that you have been blessed with so much stuff that you have that much trash to take out! Whatever you do, do it for God.
DAY 9: What Makes God Smile?
Again, Warren hits the mark: God surely has a reason to smile when we love, trust, obey, praise and serve God. For me, those first two points are paramount. First, before we can really get anywhere in our relationship with God, we have to first come to know God and love God, in response to God's love for us. Then, flowing out of that love for God, we must learn to trust Him - and trust Him fully. Once we know God and love God, and have learned to trust God... I think the rest of our response flows out of that love and trust. Once we trust God fully, there is no reason not to obey Him. Likewise, once we love God fully, there is no reason not to give Him praise and to serve Him.
There is a part of today's reading I'm going to get picky about with Warren. In his assessment of the Noah story, he paints a picture as though Noah never doubted or questioned or wondered about God's plan. That may be true, but the Bible never really says that. It says God told Noah to do thus-and-such, and Noah did thus-and-such... but that doesn't mean that Noah never had questions about what he was to do. I say that because I think it is healthy to be honest with God, and to express your questions and doubts when you have them. Go ahead and do what God is telling you, be obedient, if what God is telling you is clear and is clearly from God - but don't hesitate to ask questions. In fact, more often than not I think God leads us and grows us through the questions God gives us... not through answers and commands.
Also, in dealing with Noah, Warren makes the statement that Noah had never seen rain - that prior to the Flood, God had irrigated the earth from the ground up. Again, I just see this as an overstatement of the biblical witness. The Creation account in Genesis 2 (which is different from the Creation story of Genesis 1, by the way... two poetic expressions of why and for whom God created the earth, not necessarily how and when) does say that "God had not caused it to rain upon the earth" because there was no one to yet till the ground, so "no plant of the field was yet in the earth and no herb of the field had yet sprung up" though "a stream would rise from the earth and water the whole face of the ground." So this is the reading from which Warren gets his understanding; but this is a poetic rendering of what the earth was like prior to the appearance of humanity on earth. Once humankind has appeared, we are not told that God still withheld the rains - nor are we told otherwise. But later in the Creation accounts, we read that Cain was "a tiller of the ground" who eventually brought an offering of "the fruit of the ground" - which implies that God was now sending rain to nourish the "plants and herbs of the field." So I think Noah probably understood exactly what God was talking about in sending the Flood... Really, though, the whole point of the Noah story and of Warren's interpretation of it is that we are called to love, trust, and be obedient to God.
DAY 10: The Heart of Worship
Again, TRUST is a central theme for today's reading. This entire week's readings are about true worship, and to be able to truly worship God, you must be first able to trust God. Warren really hits the nail on the head when he says, "Sometimes it takes years, but eventually you discover that the greatest hindrance to God's blessing in your life is not others, it is yourself - your self-will, stubborn pride, and personal ambition. You cannot fulfill God's purposes for your life while focusing on your own plans." Amen, brother! It really boils down to putting God first in EVERYTHING and at ALL TIMES.
That really does entail a great deal of surrender, something we are loathe to do in our culture. Especially here in America, where independence is so highly cherished and praised, we think it a sign of weakness when we are less than independent. But the truth is, we will find a great deal more FREEDOM once we have submitted to God and become dependent on Him! I love that quote from C.S. Lewis: "The more we let God take us over, the more truly ourselves we become, because He made us." Once we admit our need for God - once we admit that we cannot do it on our own - then God becomes even more active in our lives. Before God can gain control of our lives, we first have to let go of the controls - which we might as well do, since none of us are really in control in the first place!
Now let me comment on one area of that control that Warren has mentioned a few times already: money. He states very clearly, "the most difficult area to surrender for many people is their money." I have to agree. This is a touchy subject for churches to deal with, but one which is very biblical. Whenever the subject of money or giving comes up in the church, I hear people say things like, "Whatever I give to the church is a private matter between me and God." I agree. That's why, in our congregation for instance, when the offering is received only two people have any idea what individuals gave and how much: the Treasurer, who counts the offering before it is deposited; and the church secretary, who enters our giving amounts into a computer accounting program in order to send out tax statements at the end of the year. That's it, because it is a personal matter... However, if you find that you become especially sensitive to money-talk in church, let me invite you to closely look at how well you have really surrendered that area of your life. It is a personal matter, but it is also very much a spiritual matter - and if you have not put God first in that area of your life, you still have some growing to do. Don't try to explain that away or give excuses about why now is not a good time for you to be giving, or that God will understand how financially strapped you are right now. God does understand that - but God also understands that by holding on to what you think is "yours", you are denying Him the opportunity to give you all that is His - and all that He wants you to have. All of that is not financial... but it is of God. So make sure you are giving to God, whether that is through the church or some other means. Surrendering that area of your life to God, as well as all other areas of your life, will only strengthen you.
DAY 11: Becoming Best Friends with God
The topic for this day is one of the things that really makes the Christian perspective unique among the world religions: that because of God revealed in Jesus Christ, we see that God calls us friends. God really does want to be your best friend, as Warren says - the kind of friend upon whom you can rely no matter the situation, who will always be there for you, whom you can call upon at any time, from any place, without a moment's notice. One word of caution, however: while God can be and wants to be your best friend, that is not the same as God being your buddy. What I mean by that is that God will always be there for you - but will also be there to correct you when the need arises... as a true friend would.
I would differ with Warren a little on his understanding here of God's offer of friendship. He claims that "friendship with God is possible only because of the grace of God and the sacrifice of Jesus." I agree insofar as God's friendship is only available to us because of God's grace, and it was Jesus' sacrifice that finally broke through our hard-headedness and hard-heartedness and helped us to recognize just how far God's grace would go and how deep God's love runs. But as Warren himself points out, there were people in the Old Testament who were called friends of God - so it's not that God did not want us as His friends from the beginning. But Jesus more fully revealed that side of God, that aspect of the Father that wants to draw us in as close, personal friends of His. On p.86, Warren quotes 2 Corinthians 5:18 from the Today's English Version of the Bible, which says, "All this is done by God, who through Christ changed us from enemies into his friends." No other version of the Bible that I have looked at renders that reading in quite that manner. A much more literal translation such as the NRSV, for example, says: "All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ." And the NLT translates this same passage as saying, "All this newness of life is from God, who brought us back to himself through what Christ did." Again, I realize that this goes against some traditional Christian thinking, but I don't think it is accurate to say that "Christ changed us from God's enemies into God's friends." Rather, I believe that Christ showed us the way to the God who has always wanted our friendship, and has always been there offering it to us, if only we would come to Him.
I absolutely agree with what Warren says about how we can build that relationship of friendship with God. The two methods he mentions here in this chapter - through constant conversation and through continual meditation - are essential for your continued spiritual growth. As Paul tells us, we should "pray without ceasing" - which doesn't mean so much that we are on our knees 24/7 as it means that we let an open-ended, on-going conversation with God pervade all of life. And certainly, one of the best means we have of speaking with God is through scripture - not just to see what God has said to others in the past, but also to prayerfully read those texts to see what God is actually saying to us in the present. So to build that friendship, keep your conversations with God going at all times and in all places, and set aside some time (preferably daily) to soak in what God wants to reveal to you through the Bible. After all, that is what your best friend wants!
DAY 12: Developing Your Friendship with God
I don't have a great deal to add to what Warren has to say in today's reading, other than to echo a couple of points he makes. One of the greatest things you can do in your spiritual walk is to GET REAL WITH GOD. As Warren says, you must choose to be honest with God. God made you to be you, so be YOU when you're talking to God. Don't worry about what you think you ought to think or feel. Let Him in on the real you... so that He can make a difference for the real you! And that certainly includes letting God know where you have questions and doubts. (God already knows, so you might as well be honest with Him about it so that He can help you.)
Also, I think Warren is SO RIGHT about God being pleased with us doing the "small things" for God out of loving obedience. I think those fleeting moments, like when we offer a smile to a worn-down cashier, or an arm to an elderly woman, or a word of encouragement to a child who needs it, add up to a GREAT DEAL. Those moments are how we allow God to enter into our daily lives. To be a true friend of God, we really do have to offer God's friendship to those around us.
DAY 13: Worship that Pleases God
I actually think that what Warren is saying in this day could be wrapped up in one word: worship that pleases God is authentic. When our worship is truly authentic, then I think two of Warren's other descriptions happen as well - our worship also becomes thoughtful (we can't be authentic without using our minds) and practical (worship isn't real if it doesn't effect our day-to-day lives as well as our Sunday mornings). I cannot echo Warren's comments loudly enough about heartless praise being no praise at all. God really does want us to get real. Now that means different things for different people. For some people, part of getting real with God entails dressing up in our "Sunday best" and doing the traditional church thing on Sundays, in order to show God our REAL respect for Him and our appreciation for all He has done for us. For others, part of getting real with God means coming to church in whatever clothes we would wear elsewhere and singing songs written in a familiar style that we might listen to on our car stereos. As Warren correctly states, the best style of worship for YOU is the one that most authentically represents YOUR LOVE FOR GOD, based on the background and personality God gave YOU.
By the way, one interesting point Warren raises is in saying that some sentimental songs hinder worship because "they take the spotlight off God and focus on your feelings." I'd never really thought of that, but I think he has a point. For instance, I know some songs which we traditionally sing at funerals (In the Garden, Amazing Grace, and How Great Thou Art come to mind) immediately evoke tears from some folks, as they associate those songs with loved ones to whom they've said goodbye. In that case, depending on what people do with those emotions, they may wind up focusing more on self than on God! It's not that the songs themselves are not worshipful (in fact, the three I've mentioned are among the more worshipful hymns we sing, when offered in the right spirit) - it's that in singing them, our hearts and minds must be moved onto God and off of ourselves in order to be truly worshipful. So when you find yourself doing that, try to stop yourself and turn the focus back to God.
The only qualm I have with today's reading is Warren's statement that God is pleased when our worship is "accurate." Again, I just think it is dangerous for us to believe that we have accurately pinned down the Almighty or completely accurately understand God. I agree with Warren that it is idolatrous for us to think of God in our own image, or to create our own image of God. But when Jesus says in John 4 that we should worship "in spirit and in truth" in don't think he is talking about being "accurate." I believe, in fact, he is talking about being AUTHENTIC - that we should be "honest to God" about our worship. There are things that all of us think or feel or believe about God that I am sure are inaccurate; but I believe God loves our worship in spite of all that, as long as our inaccuracies are authentic!
DAY 14: When God Seems Distant
What a wonderful chapter! All people of faith go through times where we feel separated from God, where we feel as though God has either abandoned us, is indifferent to us, or is at least quite hidden from us. When you go through those spiritual down times, don't feel as though you are alone, for even the greatest heroes of the faith went through similar times. The most famous of these was Job. But throughout the Psalms we also see that David, who was characterized as "a man after God's own heart," also felt estranged from God at times. Moreover, even Jesus himself, in the final moments of his life, felt that spiritual darkness, as he cried out from the cross, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" - a cry which actually echoes the opening words of Psalm 22).
We all suffer, and at times, in the midst of that suffering, we wonder where God could be. We may even be inclined to give up on God in those times, as we feel that God has given up on us (although the truth is that God never really leaves us or gives up on us, we at times may feel otherwise). But Warren makes this profound observation for those times of darkness and despair: "The deepest level of worship is praising God is spite of pain, thanking God during a trial, trusting him when tempted, surrendering while suffering, and loving him when he seems distant" (PDL p.107). And this statement of Warrens also jumps out at me: God wants you to sense his presence, but He's more concerned that you TRUST HIM than that you feel Him. FAITH, not feelings, pleases God.
Warren is so right! It's not that our feelings are unimportant, but we often put too much value on our feelings. I struggle sometimes with the tendency in our culture to let feelings be substituted for truth. I think counseling is a healthy thing to seek out to help people sort through their feelings in order to find the truth; but unfortunately, many people wind up simply focusing on their feelings at the expense of the truth. That is ultimately neither healthy nor helpful, either in your relationships with other people or in your relationship with God. Take Warren's advice here: tell God exactly how you feel, because God can handle it; and then remind yourself of how good, loving, caring and forgiving God really is!
Don't ever give your feelings more power and emphasis than your faith! Even in the worst of times, God is there with you. Trust in that.
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