Aligning Life with God's Grace and Spiritual Disciplines

 

Summary

In today's message, we explored the profound importance of aligning our lives with God's grace and the spiritual disciplines that help us achieve this alignment. We began by acknowledging the common struggle of feeling overwhelmed by our responsibilities and the misconception that God gives us more than we can handle. It's crucial to understand that God does not overload our schedules; rather, we are responsible for managing our time wisely. This requires a radical act of faith, trusting in God's goodness and taking charge of our time to remain centered in Him.

We delved into the distinctions between our job, ministry, work, and life. Our job is what we do to earn a living, while our ministry is the unique work God has assigned to us. Our work encompasses the lasting good we produce, and our life is the person we are becoming. It's vital to keep these areas distinct to avoid confusion and burnout. God is most interested in our life, the person we are becoming, rather than our accomplishments.

The kingdom of God is the foundation upon which we stand to avoid being consumed by our jobs or other responsibilities. God has a kingdom prepared for each of us, and our task is to bring our personal kingdom into His. This involves living in the present, recognizing that eternal life is already in session, and learning to manage our time effectively.

We also discussed the importance of spiritual disciplines like solitude, silence, fasting, and scripture memorization. These practices help us cultivate an inner quiet before God, enabling us to live without hurry and worry. By relinquishing control over outcomes and trusting God, we can work hard from a place of rest, allowing our lives to flourish as a garden filled with God's goodness.

Finally, we reflected on a poem by Antonio Machado, which serves as a poignant reminder of the responsibility we have to tend to the garden of our soul. God desires our lives to bloom with beauty and truth, and by choosing His way, we can meet the needs around us and bring His kingdom to those we encounter.

Key Takeaways:

1. Time Management as an Act of Faith: Trusting in God's goodness involves taking charge of our time and ensuring we are not overwhelmed by responsibilities. God never gives us more than we can handle, so if we feel overloaded, it's a sign to reevaluate our priorities and align them with His will. [03:18]

2. Distinguishing Life's Aspects: Understanding the differences between our job, ministry, work, and life is crucial. Our life, the person we are becoming, is of utmost importance to God. By keeping these areas distinct, we can avoid burnout and live a balanced life. [06:34]

3. Living in the Kingdom of God: The kingdom of God is the foundation for managing our lives. Recognizing that eternal life is already in session helps us live in the present and align our personal kingdom with God's. This perspective allows us to bring redemption to every aspect of our lives. [08:24]

4. Spiritual Disciplines for Inner Peace: Practices like solitude, silence, fasting, and scripture memorization cultivate an inner quiet before God. These disciplines help us live without hurry and worry, enabling us to work hard from a place of rest and trust in God's control over outcomes. [12:03]

5. Tending the Garden of Our Soul: Our soul is like a garden that God desires to bloom with beauty and truth. By choosing God's way and nurturing our spiritual life, we can meet the needs around us and bring His kingdom to those we encounter. [15:26]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:19] - Embracing Solitude and Silence
- [00:54] - The Myth of Overwhelm
- [01:40] - Radical Choice in Time Management
- [02:16] - Centering in God's Grace
- [03:18] - Taking Charge of Your Time
- [04:15] - Distinguishing Job, Ministry, Work, and Life
- [06:34] - The Importance of Your Life
- [07:39] - Standing in the Kingdom of God
- [08:24] - Living in Eternal Life Now
- [09:13] - The Art of Pastoring
- [10:07] - Spiritual Formation and Time
- [11:49] - The Role of Spiritual Disciplines
- [12:28] - Living Without Hurry
- [14:49] - The Garden of Your Soul

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:

1. Philippians 4:8 - "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
2. Matthew 6:33 - "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."
3. Psalm 46:4 - "There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells."

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Observation Questions:

1. What are the four aspects of life mentioned in the sermon, and how are they distinct from each other? [04:15]
2. According to the sermon, what is the role of spiritual disciplines like solitude and silence in our lives? [11:49]
3. How does the sermon describe the relationship between our personal kingdom and God's kingdom? [08:10]
4. What does the speaker suggest is the greatest act of faith concerning time management? [03:18]

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Interpretation Questions:

1. How does the distinction between job, ministry, work, and life help prevent burnout, according to the sermon? [05:22]
2. In what ways does the sermon suggest that living in the kingdom of God impacts our daily lives and responsibilities? [08:24]
3. How might the practice of spiritual disciplines contribute to a life without hurry and worry, as discussed in the sermon? [12:28]
4. What does the poem by Antonio Machado symbolize in the context of tending to the garden of our soul? [15:26]

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Application Questions:

1. Reflect on your current schedule. Are there areas where you feel overwhelmed? How can you apply the sermon’s teaching on time management as an act of faith to these areas? [03:18]
2. Consider the distinctions between your job, ministry, work, and life. Are there any areas where these aspects are overlapping in a way that causes stress or confusion? How can you begin to separate them? [05:22]
3. How can you actively seek to live in the present, recognizing that eternal life is already in session, as suggested in the sermon? [08:24]
4. Identify one spiritual discipline (solitude, silence, fasting, or scripture memorization) that you would like to incorporate into your routine. What steps will you take to begin this practice? [11:49]
5. Reflect on the metaphor of your soul as a garden. What are some practical ways you can tend to this garden to ensure it blooms with beauty and truth? [15:26]
6. How can you relinquish control over outcomes in your life and trust more in God’s plan, as discussed in the sermon? [12:57]
7. Think of a specific responsibility or task that often causes you to hurry. What changes can you make to approach this task from a place of rest? [12:42]

Devotional

Day 1: Time Management as Faithful Stewardship
In our busy lives, it's easy to feel overwhelmed by responsibilities, but it's important to remember that God does not give us more than we can handle. Instead, we are called to manage our time wisely as an act of faith. By trusting in God's goodness, we can take charge of our schedules and ensure that we are not overloaded. This requires a radical reevaluation of our priorities, aligning them with God's will. When we feel overwhelmed, it is a sign to pause and reflect on how we are spending our time and whether it aligns with God's purpose for us. [03:18]

"Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil." (Ephesians 5:15-16, ESV)

Reflection: What is one area of your schedule that you can adjust today to better align with God's priorities for your life?


Day 2: Distinguishing Life's Aspects for Balance
Understanding the differences between our job, ministry, work, and life is crucial for maintaining balance and avoiding burnout. Our job is what we do to earn a living, while our ministry is the unique work God has assigned to us. Our work encompasses the lasting good we produce, and our life is the person we are becoming. God is most interested in our life, the person we are becoming, rather than our accomplishments. By keeping these areas distinct, we can live a balanced life that honors God and fulfills His purpose for us. [06:34]

"And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." (Colossians 3:17, ESV)

Reflection: How can you better distinguish between your job, ministry, work, and life to ensure you are becoming the person God desires you to be?


Day 3: Living in the Present Kingdom
The kingdom of God is the foundation for managing our lives. Recognizing that eternal life is already in session helps us live in the present and align our personal kingdom with God's. This perspective allows us to bring redemption to every aspect of our lives. By living in the present, we can experience the fullness of God's kingdom and bring His love and grace to those around us. [08:24]

"For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." (Romans 14:17, ESV)

Reflection: What is one way you can live more fully in the present today, recognizing that eternal life is already in session?


Day 4: Cultivating Inner Peace through Spiritual Disciplines
Spiritual disciplines like solitude, silence, fasting, and scripture memorization help us cultivate an inner quiet before God. These practices enable us to live without hurry and worry, allowing us to work hard from a place of rest and trust in God's control over outcomes. By incorporating these disciplines into our lives, we can experience a deeper sense of peace and alignment with God's will. [12:03]

"But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me." (Psalm 131:2, ESV)

Reflection: Which spiritual discipline can you incorporate into your routine this week to cultivate inner peace and trust in God's control?


Day 5: Tending the Garden of Your Soul
Our soul is like a garden that God desires to bloom with beauty and truth. By choosing God's way and nurturing our spiritual life, we can meet the needs around us and bring His kingdom to those we encounter. This involves tending to our spiritual growth and allowing God's love and truth to flourish within us. As we do so, we become a source of beauty and truth in the world, reflecting God's kingdom to those we meet. [15:26]

"And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail." (Isaiah 58:11, ESV)

Reflection: What is one specific way you can tend to the garden of your soul today, allowing God's beauty and truth to flourish within you?

Quotes

"God never gives anyone too much to do. He does not make our day timer; He does not keep our schedule. We do that, but the greatest challenge to our faith is to make sure that we do the things that we need to do to keep ourselves centered in God and to keep ourselves environed in grace." [00:01:56]

"Your job is what you're paid to do, how you earn a living. Your ministry is that part of God's special work in your time that He has specifically allotted to you. God is doing something where you are, and a part of that He has given to you to work with Him to accomplish." [00:04:16]

"Your life is the person you are becoming, and we think so often of our life in terms of our accomplishments, but I think that's a very tragic mistake. What you get out of your life and what God gets out of your life is the person you become." [00:06:49]

"You stand in the kingdom of God because the kingdom of God is over all of this, and it is in the kingdom of God that you were brought into this world. God has foreseen a kingdom for you from the foundation of the world; it had you in mind." [00:07:31]

"Paradise is already in session, and eternal life is not starting later; it's already running. This is eternity that we're in, and that we should know this, you see, and that we should dwell in it and learn how to deal with this issue of time." [00:08:24]

"If you fill your calendar with important appointments, you will have no time for God. Henry Nowen says the greatest enemy of love for Jesus is service to Jesus. If you fill your spare time with essential reading, you'll starve your soul." [00:09:06]

"Take a long prayerful meditative look at your calendar. Who are you trying to impress? God? Give me a break. The congregation? Possibly yourself? Bingo. Now cut some big chunks out of each week for family, rest, meditation, prayer, and flower sniffing." [00:10:36]

"We need to think deeply about disciplines such as solitude and silence. The two largest disciplines in my life are fasting and scripture memorization. They do more for me to put me in the position of Saint Patrick's little prayer than anything else." [00:11:41]

"Learn to live without hurry relentlessly. Eliminate hurry from your life. Now you can move fast without being in a hurry. You can work hard, and I have a feeling there's every one of us here are going to work hard, but we want to remember that you work hard from a restful position." [00:12:30]

"When you lay down control over outcomes, you lay that down, you put it back in God's hands, and that allows you then to step free and allows you to dwell, to have a life, and then your work nourishes you and your ministry flows." [00:12:57]

"God meant your life to be a garden blooming with beautiful, strong, true, good things that He has nourished, and it's open for all of us to choose that way, and then when we do things like the commands of Jesus, the teachings of the Bible, the needs that are around us, we can meet from the depths of our soul." [00:15:37]

"What have you done with the garden that was entrusted to you? And of course, that garden is you, if you like, it's your soul, but your soul is the most inclusive part of you, it's your life, and God meant your life to be a garden blooming with beautiful, strong, true, good things." [00:15:19]

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Transcript
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