At http://charistis.blogspot.com/2008/03/receiving-word-as-spirit-and-life.html there are simple suggestions for how to receive the Word as spirit and life. The following notes will be more meaningful to you after you've made your own notes about the scriptures. Receive for yourself, then learn from and grow with others who are doing the same.
My April 5 prayer for receiving
This morning's worship was a time of love and closeness. Thank You, God. I cherish that. I seek more of the same and more beyond that. Tune all parts of my being to You now. Please clear the way so Your Word can be spirit and life in me.
Acts 2:42-47 (selections and reflections)
"Then fear came upon every soul..." (vs. 43)
Fear followed, was an outgrowth of, their steadfastness in doctrine and fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayers (vs. 42), and fear preceded or produced wonder and signs (vs. 43), sharing (vss. 44, 45) gladness and simplicity of heart (vs. 46), praising God (vs. 47) favor with people (vs. 47, and people being added to the church (vs. 47).
I'm drawn to fear like this. It prompts me to realize there is fear that is the healthy opposite to destructive fear. This passage draws me to life-giving fear that results when I begin to realize I'm actually in touch with God--with power and heart so far beyond my control. Perhaps one way to imagine life-giving fear is this: It's the result of losing control and entering into frightening proportions of order, peace, love and fruitfulness.
This fear relates to, or involves, "Simplicity of heart" (vs. 46). Simplicity of heart--what potential here! Ponder how simplicity of heart shapes community and depth for Christians. Consider how simplicity of heart serves the eternal unfolding of every wonder in the universe. Ponder how simplicity of heart benefits those who are strongest and weakest in every way--physically, mentally, socially, emotionally, spiritually. Simplicity of heart is something to admire and desire very much.
Consider how simplicity of heart and life-giving fear increase each other.
Psalm 23 (selections and reflections)
"The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want." (vs. 1)
I shall not want for lack of life-giving fear or simplicity of heart!
"He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake." (vs. 3)
Maybe this is not an assurance that I will manage to say it right, or that they will, as I so much hope, "get it." But vs. 3 is an assurance the Shepherd leads me in the paths of righteousness. He leads each of His sheep in the paths (that is plural) of righteousness. It's not up to me to try to make their path and mine the same. It's up to me to be led by the Shepherd. The best hope of having all things in common (Acts 2:44) is to have the same Shepherd.
1 Peter 2:19-25 (selections and reflections)
"For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully." (vs. 19)
"When you do good and suffer for it, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God." (vs. 20)
"Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps..." (vs. 21)
Here is something we "know" and yet keep avoiding. Focusing on peace and joy, many Christians turn away from suffering. Yet, of course, suffering is everywhere around and in us. But we keep treating it as an anomaly. Something we're supposed to make go away if we just pray long, hard, or right enough. In various ways we say, or hear, that if we had just prayed better, loved harder, believed more intensely, then this suffering would not have happened. But Christ suffered and we will too if we follow His steps.
"when He suffered, He... committed Himself to Him who judges righteously." (vs. 23)
Maybe there is no good way to be sure I did everything possible to prevent suffering. There comes a time to quit trying to figure that out. (I also need to let go of being frustrated or hurt when Christians try to take the peace-and-joy route around suffering!) Verse 23 is exactly what I need. It brings a sigh of relief to my heart. Doing verse 23 is simplicity of heart in action.
"...that we having died to sins, might live for righteousness..." (vs. 24)
There's that word righteousness again--it's something to live for! There's a lot of anxiety, stress and struggle that goes with trying to "get it right," "do it right," and "be right." But we can let go of that in favor of living for righteousness. There is a righteousness to be immersed in--that causes great and always-deepening joy.
"For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls." (vs. 25)
The sheep and Shepherd are in three of this week's scriptures.
John 10:1-10 (selections and reflections)
"...the sheep follow him, for they know his voice." (vs. 4)
Animals recognize and respond to human voices. It's a wonder-filled phenomenon. That wonder translates into something so much bigger when it's Christ's followers recognizing and responding to His voice. The tone and inflection in a word can profoundly affect how the word is received. Imagine, for a huge example, how that word "Mary" was received on resurrection morning from the One she thought was the gardener. It's not enough to just see words on a page, we need the tone and inflection, we need to recognize the voice. That does happen now because the Holy Spirit conveys the tone (not very often audibly) simply and directly into our heart, the center of our whole being.
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