Moving on from the inward disciplines of prayer, fasting, meditation and study, this Sunday we looked at the outward disciplines of solitude, simplicity, submission and service, rejoicing at the fact that all our disciplines arise from the relationship we already have with the Lord, made possible for us by the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ which we celebrated this weekend.
Solitude
As always, Jesus is for us the example of the need to make time to be alone with God. He often withdraw by himself to pray and encouraged his disciples to take time out to be alone with Him.(Luke 6:12, John 6:14, Mark 6:31-32) Solitude with God is not about temperament and clearly God has made us to be in fellowship with people as well, but there is a need to carve time to ‘keep watch’ with God if we are to walk closely with Him.
Simplicity
Our lives (and homes!) so easily become cluttered up with things and we are bombarded daily by advertising that attempts to persuade us that happiness is bound up in possessions: the latest phone, car, computer, gadget etc. Jesus taught us the dangers of this way of thinking: “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” (Luke 12:15) We have to learn the lessons of thankfulness and gratitude (think Madame Blueberry in the Veggie Tales episode on these themes!) so that we know the truth of Paul’s words “godliness with contentment is great gain.” (1 Tim 6:6)
Simplicity, being free from the covetousness of things and people, is linked to contentment: as Paul says, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” (Phil 4:11-13) We can know peace and contentment in our lives and a freedom from covetousness because we have a heavenly Father who knows what we need and who has promised to supply all our needs. Our part is to guard our hearts against all kinds of greed and to be prepared and willing to live in simplicity, bucking the trend around us, not always having to keep up appearances.
Submission
Submission is not something we find easy to do! Submission really starts with a heart attitude that is manifested in actions. The heart attitude accepts that God is great and that He is Lord. (Ps 100:3, Deut 32:4) Our view of God will affect how we view submission: we need to have confidence in God’s goodness and plans for our lives, even when circumstances apparently contradict that thing.
Submission to God is the starting point for all victory. Jesus submitted to God’s will in the Garden of Gethsemane and that submission was what gave us Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Without that submission, we wouldn’t have Easter to celebrate! It was only when Jacob wrestled with God and had his hip socket wrenched, so he ever afterwards walked with a limp, that he became Israel (Gen 32). We cannot know victory unless we have first known defeat. We have to learn to ‘live to lose’ (Aaron Shust) if we are to know victory. We cannot know life unless we have tasted death. Easter Sunday proves that.
Again, Jesus is our perfect model for submission (Phil 2:5-11). When we look at Him, we can fulfil Paul’s command “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” (Phil 2:3-4), for submission to God inevitably must lead to submission to other people.
Service
We are saved to serve. “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Eph 2:10) As with everything, though, we need to be clear that we are not serving God to earn His favour. We already have that through the wondrous death and resurrection of the Lord! We are serving God out of thankfulness and gratitude, out of awestruck adoration, because we know that we have so much entirely because of His mercy and grace. We are not serving because we are deserving, or because of our own righteousness; we are serving because we want to. It’s the very least we can do.
Service can take so many different forms. Service is not just about the public ministries in a church; it’s not just about preaching or praying or leading worship or playing an instrument or serving Communion. Service is offering a cup of cold water in Christ’s name (Matt 10:42). It’s giving someone a meal or some item of clothing or visiting someone in prison (Matt 25:31-46). It’s showing hospitality to someone (Rom 12:9 & Heb 13:2) or taking the time to encourage someone (Rom 12:8). It’s giving generously (Rom 12:8). It’s digging the drains!
So often we think that what we do is worthless, insignificant, hardly worth noticing. But God notices everything. He sees all our service and He is no man’s debtor. What is done in secret, He has told us, He will reward openly. We need to remember that our service is an offering to God and we need also to understand that there are times when we must persevere in our service. “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” (Gal 6:9-10)