Friday, July 21, 2017 Intimate Fellowship: The Attitude of the Heart for the Disciple (Inspired by Celebration of Discipline, by Richard Foster)
Friday, July 21, 2017
Intimate Fellowship: The Attitude of the Heart for the
Disciple
(Inspired by Celebration of Discipline, by Richard Foster)
Scripture:
1 John 1:3
what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that
you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the
Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.
Genesis 5:22-24
Then Enoch walked with God three hundred years after he
became the father of Methuselah, and he had other sons and daughters. So all
the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. Enoch walked with
God; and he was not, for God took him.
Isaiah 57:15
For thus says the high and exalted One Who lives forever,
whose name is Holy, "I dwell on a high and holy place, And also with the
contrite and lowly of spirit In order to revive the spirit of the lowly And to
revive the heart of the contrite.
Zechariah 2:10
"Sing for joy and be glad, O daughter of Zion; for
behold I am coming and I will dwell in your midst," declares the LORD.
John 14:23
Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he
will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and
make Our abode with him.
John 17:21-23
21 that they may all be
one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that
they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You
sent Me. 22 The glory which You have given Me I
have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; 23 I
in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the
world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You
have loved Me.
1 John 1:5-7
This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to
you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say that
we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not
practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light,
we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us
from all sin.
Devotional:
Close fellowship. Intimacy. Being known. This idea can be so
exciting. Knowing Who God is has been my main pursuit for as long as I have
lived my adult Christian walk. As I read Celebration of Discipline, I am inspired
by Pastor Foster to remember that in focusing on learning what the Disciplines
of the Faith are, I should remember the true reason: Intimacy.
In his book, Pastor Foster points out that while the
Disciplines are outlined in the Bible there is little instruction to the “how.”
This is because of the reality of the practice of these disciplines that was
prevalent in the society of the people of God. It was not something one
learned, it was modeled all around. We do not have the disciplines so embedded
into our world, and in fact will need to seek with intentionality good teaching
as well as others who practice them if we desire to grow in them. However, he also
gently warns that we should not become so entrenched in learning “how” to practice
the Disciplines that we forget that we have one true Goal: to be intimate with
our Lord.
God has been ministering to me that I should not simply
remove the things that are not pleasing to Him: I also need to fill up with
those things which ARE pleasing. A place of intimacy is also the place of
filling. Pressing in to God and choosing to practice these disciplines is a
deeply worthwhile pursuit, and there is no more precious ambition.
Today, let’s fill up with Him. Let’s give him space, and rest
on Him as John the Beloved.
Prayer:
Father, sometimes I can skirt the issue of intimacy with
You. I can get caught up in all the responsibilities of life, and lose sight of
the Central Theme that You have for us. I want to be intimate with You. I pray
that You will fill me and give me a joy for Your Disciplines.
Intercession:
Spend time worshiping God for your children. List areas of
gratitude. Take time to outline needs and concerns, making note in your journal
if you like. It is so encouraging to look back and see what God has done!
Lord, I lift my family and home to You. You are the Author
of our lives. Let each of us have a truly intimate walk with You each day. In
Jesus’ Name I pray, amen.
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