Ch. 2 - Surprised By Change

Hank, “his native tongue was complaint…he was a ministry of cranial downsizing” (p.27). One of my fears is that I am Hank or am becoming more like Hank than I am Christ. I find myself becoming bitter and angry with my circumstances way too much. It’s a constant battle not to fixate on these islands of “bad” circumstances in my life. It’s really stupid of me, and it’s a very nearsighted view of reality when we fixate on these islands of difficulty. Because, if we know Christ, we are supposed to live “a life of goodness and peace and joy” (Romans 14:17) no matter our circumstances.

 

 So what keeps us from living that life? What keeps us from being transformed? In chapter 2, Ortberg offers a couple of excellent incites into why this doesn’t happen. One of which was pretty simple and sad—we don’t expect change or that it doesn’t bother us when change doesn’t happen. Another main thought Ortberg presented was superficial change, or as he called it, “religious boundary markers”. These boundary markers are different from one denomination to another and one generation to another, but they are essentially what we designate as outward signs of change. For example, when a person starts attending church consistently, reading their Bible regularly, and they quit smoking, cussing, and drinking…they are generally accepted in many Christian circles. These “religious boundaries” differ from group to group, but Ortberg points out Jesus’ primary focus was on not on boundaries; his focus was on the heart. Loving God and loving others is where Jesus started. Therefore, we can conclude: true spirituality is to grow in loving God and loving others. This is where a key scripture came to me in my reading.
 

Romans 12 1:1-2 (NLT) - And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.

 

So if that is the case, then worshiping God in “Spirit and Truth” is not done by how well we observe boundaries. Or as Otrberg puts it, prayer and Bible study cannot be the gauge we use to assess our spiritual condition.

 

Wow, this really got me thinking because I love to spend time in prayer. I love my quiet time with God, but if I am not loving others and loving God more as a result of my time in prayer—then by Christ definition, I am not a very spiritual person. And so here is the humbling conclusion that God laid on my heart after reading this chapter. If I am not being changed in a way the causes me to love God and others and be a more obedient disciple as a result of the time I spend with God in prayer, am I really praying? Or am I just going to God with my wants, problems, and complaints. If that is all I am doing in my prayer life, then I am convinced that I am not praying, rather I am just a noisy gong.

1 Corinthians 13:1 (NLT) – “If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, (I) would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.”

 

So my challenge for you this week is this: If you are struggling to grow in Christ--I mean past the superficial stuff you show everyone--if you are exhausted with trying over and over again to change and be transformed into the person God created you to be, the person Christ died for you to be. Then understand it begins with a changed heart. That’s where Jesus focuses his attention--on your heart and head. So you can give him access by tweaking one small thing in your prayer life. Instead of praying for God to change your circumstance or the circumstances of others…try praying and asking God to change you! Change your heart. Change your thinking. Instead of asking him to take away your difficulties and your struggles, try asking God to give you strength and wisdom to get through them. Instead of asking God for this or that, ask God what you can give him. Ask him to help you see how you can love him and love others better. Try it, I think you’ll be surprised how God starts to change you and use you.

 

That’s all for this week. Remember to leave your encouraging comments. You can comment on the book, my blog, or even on the comments that others have left on this site. Your encouraging words just might be what someone needs to hear today.

 

Blessing, Jason

Ch. 1 - We shall morph indeed

 {Note} - take a look at the intro video in my first post before you start this study

I'm not a proficient reader, I'd say one book a month if I'm lucky. However, I probably start at least two books a month. The reason I don't finish them all is because the author has to grab me right from the get go. If not, I loose interest. Thankfully, Ortberg got me hooked with the very first sentence "I am disappointed in myself." Wow, not too many people like to admit that, let alone an accomplished Christian author.

I was anxious to see where he was taking this disappoint thing and sure enough he hit me right between the eyes. Parenthood! Yep, I can relate to not being the father I want to be. The words were painfully to close to home. Ortberg determines that this self disappointment comes from our failure to be the person God intended/created us to be. Of course there is truth in that, but why is it true?  (OK, this is where my first branch started...) so as I was reading, the words of the Apostle Paul came to me.  Romans 7:19-20  For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. ²⁰ Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. I'm not sure if it's refreshing or worrisome that "THE" apostle Paul knew disappointment with himself so well.

Regardless, I think disappointment can be a good thing. Especially when it comes to sin, the fact that you’re disappointed with yourself after you sin is a good because it means you’re aware of it and at least wish you could change. However, be worried when you sin and you’re not disappointed in yourself. That’s when you know something is really wrong. When you ignore your sin and pretend it doesn't matter...that's when you become numb to your sin. That’s a road you don’t want to go down because it’s hard to recover from it.

(here is my 2^nd branch of scripture)

 Jeremiah 8:12 (NIV) - Are they ashamed of their detestable conduct? No, they have no shame at all; they do not even know how to blush. So they will fall among the fallen; they will be brought down when they are punished, says the Lord.

So let your disappointment draw you closer to God and not away from him. How does this happen? Well, when you go to God in prayer asking for help and forgiveness- that will draw you closer to him. Even if it's 100th time you've messed up, there is always hope because Jesus is there ready to give you a fresh start again. Ortberg reminds us in this chapter that… we are made in God's image and that we are God's work of art. Therefore, "God is determined to overcome the defacing of his image...and make us new creatures" (p.15).

God’s determination to do this is seen throughout the Bible and it happens in what Ortberg calls TURING ASIDE moments. Moses and the burning bush was a great visual for this. Have you had a TURNING ASIDE moment with God…that moment when God has got your attention, maybe through a sermon, maybe through a book, or maybe even through tragedy? However God did it, he finally got your attention and you're ready to move another direction. It’s going to be challenging, it’s going to be uncomfortable, but this TURING ASIDE is where this Godly transformation starts to take place.

That's my hope for this study-- that it will lead to a TURING ASIDE moment for those who participate. So for that to happen, I need your help. I need your comments on what you read in each chapter and in this blog. Keep in mind that Ortberg has already written a book on this subject and I just commented a page on it. So keep your comments brief and to the point. The goal is to start a conversation based on the book and branches of scripture I add to it in this blog. Thanks for participating, Blessing…Jason

The Life You've Always Wanted

The Life You've Always Wanted is a book by John Ortberg. This book lays out some simple biblical principles for living a Christ transformed life. This is the book we will be using for the basis of our first Adventure Online study. If you'd like to be a part of this study you can pick this book up at our Muscatine Campus or order it off Amazon for $10 to $12. Pastor Jason will be blogging on each chapter (one at a time) every week. You can participate by either just reading the blog or joining in on comments about the book or blog post. The first blog will be posted Sept. 17th.