Brooding: Transforming Chaos into Divine Purpose

Devotional

Day 1: The Dual Nature of Brooding

Positive brooding is a creative force that mirrors the Spirit of God at the beginning of creation, where planning and new ideas are birthed. This type of brooding is life-giving and propels us into action and growth. On the other hand, negative brooding traps us in cycles of rumination and anxiety, leading to inaction and a paralyzing fear of the future. Recognizing the difference between these two types of brooding can help us harness the power of our thoughts for good, rather than allowing them to become a source of stress and worry. [01:53]

Genesis 1:2 (ESV): "The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters."

Reflection: Identify a situation in your life where you tend to brood negatively. How can you transform this into a positive, creative brooding that leads to constructive action?

Day 2: The Power of Singular Purpose

Having too many conflicting goals can lead to stress and decreased productivity. When our goals are not aligned, we become overwhelmed, leading to rumination and even health issues. Instead, focusing on a singular purpose that aligns with God's calling can bring clarity and peace. Becoming a child of the light means devoting oneself to goodness and righteousness, aligning one's will with God's purpose. This singular focus allows us to live a life of intention and fulfillment. [02:56]

Matthew 6:22-23 (ESV): "The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!"

Reflection: What is one conflicting goal in your life that you can let go of to focus more on your divine calling?

Day 3: Selflessness as a Natural Expression

Children of the light prioritize the needs of others over their own desires, embodying selflessness and devotion to God's will. This selflessness is not a struggle but a natural expression of their alignment with God's purpose. By attuning their will to God's, they become attentive to kindness and helpfulness, embodying the teachings of Paul in Philippians 2:3-4. This way of living is marked by a genuine concern for others and a commitment to doing what is right and good. [06:44]

1 John 3:18 (ESV): "Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth."

Reflection: Think of a recent situation where you prioritized your desires over someone else's needs. How can you approach a similar situation differently in the future?

Day 4: Practicing Self-Denial

Practicing self-denial in small ways helps detach our will from ego and align it with God's purpose. These practices, such as exercising longer than planned or allowing others to make decisions, cultivate a life devoted to doing what is right and good. By consistently choosing to deny ourselves, we learn to prioritize God's will over our own, leading to a deeper spiritual transformation and a more fulfilling life. [07:31]

Luke 9:23 (ESV): "And he said to all, 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.'"

Reflection: What is one small act of self-denial you can practice today to align your will more closely with God's purpose?

Day 5: Our Bodies as Instruments of God's Will

As we align our will with God's, our bodies become instruments of His will, instinctively avoiding temptation and embodying a quiet strength and transparency. This transformation is made possible through the Spirit of God dwelling within us, giving life to our bodies and enabling us to do good. By offering our bodies to God, we embark on an adventure of discovering the good He will do through us, living a life of gratitude and purpose. [09:16]

Romans 12:1 (ESV): "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship."

Reflection: In what ways can you offer your body as an instrument of God's will today, and how might this change your daily habits?

Sermon Summary

In the beginning, God’s Spirit brooded over the chaos, contemplating creation. This act of brooding is a powerful metaphor for our lives. There are two types of brooding: one that is creative and life-giving, and another that is negative and paralyzing. The positive brooding involves planning, conceiving, and bringing forth new ideas or actions, much like God did at the dawn of creation. In contrast, negative brooding is characterized by rumination, worry, and obsession, which can trap us in a cycle of inaction and anxiety.

We all need a purpose, a singular goal that aligns with our divine calling. Having too many conflicting goals can lead to stress, worry, and ultimately, a decrease in productivity and well-being. Psychologist Robert Emmons, a follower of Jesus, highlights that when our goals conflict, we become overwhelmed, leading to rumination and health issues. Instead, we should focus on becoming children of the light, as described by Dallas Willard. This means aligning our will, mind, and emotions with God’s goodness and purpose.

Children of the light are devoted to doing what is right and good. Their will is attuned to God’s will, and they are attentive to kindness and helpfulness. They prioritize the needs of others over their own desires, embodying the teachings of Paul in Philippians 2:3-4. This selflessness is not a struggle for them; it is a natural expression of their devotion to God.

To cultivate this kind of life, we must practice not getting our own way. This involves small acts of self-denial, such as exercising longer than planned, eating healthier foods, or allowing others to make decisions. These practices help us detach our will from ego and align it with God’s purpose.

Our bodies, too, play a role in this transformation. As we align our will with God’s, our bodies become instruments of His will, instinctively avoiding temptation and embodying a quiet strength and transparency. This transformation is possible through the Spirit of God dwelling within us, giving life to our bodies and enabling us to do good.

Take a moment to be grateful for your body and its capabilities. Offer your body to God as an instrument of His will, and embark on the adventure of discovering what good He will do through you.

Key Takeaways

1. The concept of brooding can be both positive and negative. Positive brooding involves planning and creating, much like God’s Spirit at the beginning of creation. Negative brooding, however, leads to rumination and anxiety, trapping us in inaction. [01:53]
2. Having too many conflicting goals can lead to stress and decreased productivity. Instead, focus on a singular purpose aligned with God’s calling, becoming a child of the light devoted to goodness and righteousness. [02:56]
3. Children of the light prioritize the needs of others over their own desires, embodying selflessness and devotion to God’s will. This selflessness is a natural expression of their alignment with God’s purpose. [06:44]
4. Practicing self-denial in small ways helps detach our will from ego and align it with God’s purpose. These practices cultivate a life devoted to doing what is right and good. [07:31]
5. Our bodies become instruments of God’s will as we align our will with His. This transformation, enabled by the Spirit of God, allows us to instinctively avoid temptation and embody a quiet strength and transparency. [09:16]
** [09:16]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:35] - The Power of Brooding
[01:06] - Positive vs. Negative Brooding
[01:38] - The Spirit's Creative Brooding
[02:07] - The Problem with Too Many Goals
[02:31] - Consequences of Conflicting Goals
[03:34] - The Demand for Immediate Gratification
[04:10] - Brooding Over Creation
[04:56] - Becoming Children of the Light
[05:46] - Devotion to Goodness and Rightness
[06:30] - Selflessness and Prioritizing Others
[07:15] - Practicing Self-Denial
[08:07] - The Role of the Body in Transformation
[09:00] - Consecrated Bodies as Instruments of God
[10:12] - Gratitude for Our Bodies
[10:58] - Offering Our Will and Body to God

Sermon Clips

Now there is a good kind of brooding and there is a bad kind of brooding brooding at its heart meant to conceive or to hatch or to plan we'll talk about conceiving a child people will talk about a brood of children or conceiving an idea well save an idea that's my baby and it's remarkable to think about the spirit of god at the very beginning um brooding over chaos and thinking about what might happen what might i do what could get created [00:01:11]

If you have too many goals you end up doing that wrong kind of brooding there's a psychologist robert emmons he is a follower of jesus interestingly enough he's kind of the guru of research particularly around gratitude one of the things he discovered is people have too many goals they begin to conflict with each other i want to be super successful at work and also with my family and there's not enough time i want to have amazing experiences of eating fabulous food and have a body that's in terrific shape [00:02:03]

What happens if you end up with too many goals and they conflict with each other is first you worry a lot you start thinking about well what's going to happen if i do this and then i can't do that and then you actually get less done you might think that by having lots of goals you will get more and more done actually the average person at any one moment in time has about 150 tasks to do and that's too many for us [00:02:39]

What would it be like to brood about your day your life what you might bring into creation because we are made in god's image we are like little image barriers little co-creators what would it be like for you to brood over your life the way that the spirit was brooding over that inky nothingness before bringing forth light and life [00:04:20]

You only have to have one goal and that is to become one of these a son or a daughter of the light that is of god that is of goodness to become a truly good person as god intended you to become that's the main thing god gets out of your life in mind too and we looked yesterday so if you missed that you might want to listen to it [00:04:57]

We find that these children of light really are devoted to doing what is good and right am i really devoted to that in my will their will is habitually attuned to it just as their mind and emotions are habitually honing in on god they are attentive to rightness to kindness to helpfulness and they are purposefully knowledgeable about life about what people need about how to do what is right and good in appropriate ways [00:05:40]

These are people who do not think first of themselves and what they want and they really care very little if at all about getting their own way let each of you regard one another as more important than yourself do not look out for your own personal interest but for the interest of others that's paul writing to the church of philippi chapter 2 verses 3 and 4 [00:06:28]

Use today to practice not getting your own way and pick some quite concrete things when you're exercising go five minutes longer than you had planned to or really want to when you're eating eat something you didn't really want to eat hopefully something that's quite healthy crank out one extra email that you don't have to do that you didn't want to do when you're with another person allow that other person to decide what you will do together or what you will watch together [00:07:21]

How do i cultivate a will that is not attached to getting its own way for the sake of ego itself and then children of light have a different kind of body that of course involves their body the body has come over to the side of their will to do good it is constantly poised to do what is right and good without thinking and that also means it does not automatically move into what is wrong even contrary to the resolves and intentions before they can think to not do it [00:08:07]

The spirit has taken over their members the parts of their body so i just brewed over what would it be like to have a body like that consequently we do not see them always trapped by what their tongue facial expressions eyes hands and so on have already done before they can think for their body and its parts are consecrated to serve god and are habituated to be his holy instruments they instinctively avoid the paths of temptations [00:08:44]

Take a moment right now with your body and be grateful for it yes your body not wishing that you had somebody else's you have a little kingdom and so do i and i'm able to hear and i'm able to think and i have hands that are able to do good am able to look at uh unbelievable beauty all around me take a deep breath relax your body offer it eyes ears mouths hands and feet to god to do good will today [00:10:12]

We do not know what good god will do with it be on that adventure i'll see you next time [00:11:05]

Ask a question about this sermon

Chatbot

Transcript

What was the most surprising thing in this sermon?

Were there any personal stories shared?