There is something very peaceful about sitting in front of a fire on a snowy day. In fact, as I write these words I am sitting in front of our glowing fireplace while giant snowflakes are falling outside. Sitting by a warm fire is a soul-enriching experience for me. Through the centuries starting and tending a fire has been a helpful metaphor for the spiritual life. Thomas Kelly, the great Quaker professor and author, wrote about “burning the flame of the inner sanctuary” as an image for nurturing our prayer life. Madame Guyon and John Wesley also used the metaphor of a fire to illustrate the collaborative work between God and humans. They spoke of how we must create the conditions and do the preparatory work, but God alone is the spark that ignites the flame in our souls.
For me, the image of building and tending a fire is a perfect illustration of what it has been like to maintain a vibrant life with God. In days gone by the first duty of the father or mother of the house was to get up early and start the fire in the hearth. Throughout the day someone would stoke the fire, adding new logs to keep it burning strong. If it was not tended, the fire would die out. That is exactly how my own devotional life works. In the morning I try to set aside time, a half hour at least, for private prayer. This is how I start the fire each day. Through adoration, thanksgiving, recollection, praise and surrender, I interact with the God who sacrificed himself for me, and surrender myself to his guidance and will.
But that is not the end for me. Just like the fire in the fireplace, I need to stoke the fire throughout the day. I do this by pausing for short times of prayer every hour or two, by reading the Scriptures or spending a few moments reading a devotional book, such as The Imitation of Christ by Thomas à Kempis. These are the logs that I add to the existing fire to keep it burning brightly. In the evening, before bed, I read some other Christian book, spend a few moments in self-examination, going over my day with God in prayer and then fall asleep in his tranquil presence. I don’t do these things because I want God to love me and bless me, nor to avoid punishment or impress people with my piety. I do all of this to keep the fire burning. I do them because I am spiritually weak. I cannot maintain an effective and joyful Christian life without these activities. I also need weekly times of worship, fellowship and a host of other disciplines to nourish my soul. When I neglect these things, my soul atrophies. I simply know of no other way to be an apprentice of Jesus.
Two False Narratives
1. What matters is having faith in Jesus, not having an ongoing relationship with him. Not long after becoming a new Christian, I came under the mentorship of Richard Foster, a leading teacher and writer in Christian spiritual formation. Richard taught me how to maintain private prayer, devotional reading, studying the Scriptures and the like. He taught me this way of living by his own example and by introducing me to the great devotional masters of the past. I followed their example and experienced an infusion of life and power through the Spirit. I developed a very real and intimate life with God. I was still a fairly new Christian, so I assumed that all Christians live this way.
I was wrong.
I later learned that people who are close to Christ and his kingdom are the exception, not the rule. Some estimate that only 10 percent of Christians are actively developing their relationship with God on a daily basis. Why? There are many reasons, but I believe there is a theological misstep behind this problem. Many Christians have been taught that a relationship with Jesus is not important. Things like private prayer, personal Bible study, solitude, devotional reading and serving others are rarely taught, and thus are seen as add-ons practiced by the most zealous, overachieving Christians.
2. The only way to be a good Christian is to keep all of the rules. Another narrative contributes to the problem as well. In some Christian circles the dominant message is that Christian living is a matter of keeping all of the right rules. The focus is on doing or not doing certain practices. But mere rule keeping leads to an unsatisfying Christian life. Our souls hunger for something deeper than a list of dos and don’ts.
Neither false narrative is right. The first sees the spiritual disciplines as unnecessary. The second sees them as mandatory. Both miss the key element: relationship. What truly matters is a relationship with Jesus, with being his apprentice. This naturally entails engaging in practices that nurture the relationship (contra the first narrative). But the relationship is what is important, not the practices themselves (contra the second narrative). Spiritual exercises are wise practices that develop and enhance our life with God, but they are not spiritual merit badges that determine how God feels about us. Apprentices of Jesus learn how to be with Jesus in order to become like Jesus, and that is done by learning how to abide in him.
Jesus’ Narrative: Abide in Me and Bear Fruit
The secret to living a vibrant Christian life is abiding in Jesus. There is no other way to wholeness and happiness than to live in utter dependence on Jesus. He used the image of a vine and its branches to describe how his disciples ought to live:
I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.
If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.
If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.
(John 15:5-8 nasb)
The image of a vine and its branches describes the necessity of staying connected to Jesus. A branch not attached to the vine is cut off from life and energy, and cannot bear fruit, which it is designed to do. In the same way, a Christian who lives apart from Jesus is disconnected from Jesus’ life and power, and cannot bear the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control).
Most of us would like to live with joy. The majority of people I know would like to be thought of as good people. I know very few people who would not like to have more peace. Jesus says that these things naturally will become a part of our lives and our character if we abide in him. But apart from him we can do nothing; we cannot bear this fruit anymore than a cut branch can bear fruit.
How do we abide in Jesus? What does that look like? In The Good and Beautiful God I explained it this way: “to abide means to rest and rely on Jesus, who is not outside of us, judging us, but inside of us, empowering us. The more deeply we are aware of our identity in Christ, and of his presence and power that are with us, the more naturally we will do this.” To abide, then, is not done by observing a set of outer activities. I can’t nurture my relationship with my wife merely by doing certain activities, such as sending flowers or writing her notes. Those things can be wonderful if my intention is to express my love. But developing the relationship will involve much more—spending time with her, listening to her and caring for her.
How do we abide in Christ? What is your experience of this?
To abide in Christ involves spending time with Jesus. For me, this happens when I keep my mind and my heart set on his presence with me. Psalm 16:8 reads, “I have set the Lord continually before me; Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken” (nasb). Colossians 3:1-2 counsels, “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things” (niv). My problem is that my mind wanders a great deal. That is precisely why I need to find ways to reset my mind on things above, where Christ is.
The focus should be on the relationship, not the rules. Our Christian lives are in real trouble when we focus mainly on rule keeping. We must remain focused on our identity in Christ and let that determine our behavior. When I know and reflect on the reality that Christ dwells in me, my desire to nurture that relationship strengthens. But I must do something to build that relationship. Thus I have many practices (not rules) that help me develop my relationship with God. Our souls hunger for relationship, which the disciplines nourish.
Four Images, One Point
We have arrived at the final section of the Sermon on the Mount, the greatest sermon ever given to the world by the most brilliant person who ever lived. In his clarion call to live as his apprentices, Jesus uses four illustrations that essentially make the same point: arranging your life around Jesus and his teaching is the only way to a good life.
1. There is only one way to the good and beautiful life.
Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it. (Matthew 7:13-14)
The first image Jesus uses is of two gates leading to two roads—one narrow and wide. The wide gate leads to the easy way, and the narrow gate to the hard. Taking the path of the wide gate leads to destruction; the path of the narrow gate leads to eternal life.
Jesus clearly says that the narrow way (following his teachings) is challenging, but he also adds that it leads to life. Much is made about the cost of discipleship and how hard it is to follow Jesus. While that is true, it is much harder not to follow him. Why don’t we talk about the cost of nondiscipleship? That cost, according to Dallas Willard, is much higher:
Nondiscipleship costs abiding peace, a life penetrated throughout by love, faith that sees everything in light of God’s overriding governance for good, hopefulness that stands firm in the most discouraging circumstances, power to do what is right and withstand the forces of evil. In short, it costs exactly that abundance of life Jesus said he came to bring (John 10:10). The cross-shaped yoke of Christ is after all an instrument of liberation and power to those who live with him in it.
Why do some people conclude that doing the things Jesus commands is not necessary in order to be a Christian?
Instead of focusing so much on the cost of discipleship, I think we should stress how bankrupt nondiscipleship is. Jesus knew that many would not practice what he preached and would instead take the seemingly easier road of self-focus. Though it seems easy and is certainly popular, it is the path of ruin.
2. From the inside out. After his teaching on the wide and narrow way, Jesus offers another contrast—inner character versus the outer appearance:
Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will know them by their fruits. (Matthew 7:15-20)
Church father John Chrysostom interpreted this passage by saying that the false prophets are not “heretics, but them that are of a corrupt life, yet wear a mask of virtue.” He goes on to say that we ought not “look to the mask but to the behavioral fruits of those who patiently pursue the narrow way.”
This seems right to me, and it’s in the spirit of the Sermon on the Mount. What matters is the inside, in our hearts, as Jesus has said throughout. We may never kill anyone, but we may have a lot of anger in our hearts. Jesus reminds us that his apprentices don’t merely look good on the outside but their hearts are being transformed through their relationship to Jesus and the kingdom. When we develop that relationship, we abide in Christ, and we naturally bear good fruit. There is no way to develop the fruit without abiding in Christ. As a teacher, writer and minister, these words remind me that my inner character is more important than my words.
3. There is only one way to the kingdom. Next, Jesus tells us that the only way to enter the kingdom is to “do the will” of his Father in heaven:
Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day many will say to me, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?” Then I will declare to them, “I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers.” (Matthew 7:21-23)
It is easy to focus here on the phrase “does the will of my Father in heaven,” and turn this section into a call to obey God’s will. Obedience to the will of God is central, but as I proposed earlier, for many that means keeping rules.
The best way to interpret this section is to focus on the four words I never knew you. Once again, it is about relationship—or lack thereof. Jesus is pointing out the centrality of a relationship with him, not merely doing good works. And notice the examples he uses: prophesying, casting out demons and deeds of power. He is not merely talking about attending church or reading the Bible. Jesus gives examples that would make us assume the person was a true Christian. But Jesus indicates that it is possible to do these powerful works and yet not be in relationship with him. According to Jesus, that relationship is all that matters.
4. There is only one way to build a good life. We have now arrived at the end of a careful study of this Sermon and its implications for our lives. We are also back to where we started. In the opening chapter of this book we looked at Jesus’ admonition to build our lives on the “rock.”
Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was its fall! (Matthew 7:24-27)
Everyone in Jesus’ day would have been familiar with this illustration. A home’s foundation is the anchor that holds the house together through the storms.
But Jesus is not giving a lecture on good home-building practices. He is ending his sermon with a very striking illustration about being or not being his apprentice. Jesus is saying, “There are two ways to live—either as my disciple or not. Being my disciple will mean developing an ongoing, daily relationship with me. Those who follow the principles of the kingdom will be strong and invulnerable. When trials come at you, you will be able to withstand it.” For the past three years I have been in community with a group of people who have been “pickling” in the kingdom together. Week after week we study the Sermon and labor to apply it to our lives. We have blessed those who curse us, experimented with ways to eliminate anger and actively sought the kingdom of God in our daily lives. I have seen a lot of great things happen in our lives, but the one thing that has stood out to me is how we have learned to face adversity.
Give an example of how not doing what Jesus teaches (truth telling, living without anger, not worrying) has led to harm in your life or someone you know.
One member of our group, a doctor, was wrongly sued for malpractice. Daily she endured lawyers who were trying to assassinate her character. Though it hurt, and many tears were shed, she stood firm and behaved with a kingdom heart. She was wounded, but she says, “I could not have made it through this several years ago. Before I knew how to live in the kingdom of God I would have been broken by this.” As an apprentice of Jesus she looks forward to a good future because she is in fellowship with a good and beautiful heavenly Father in a kingdom that has never been and never will be in trouble. A storm came into her life, and the foundation held firm.
Setting Our Hearts and Minds on Things Above
What part of the Sermon on the Mount is most helpful to you?
The only way to nurture my relationship with Jesus is to set my heart and mind on the kingdom of God. The fundamental building block of an apprentice of Jesus is living closely to Jesus in our ordinary lives. If we can learn how to spend an ordinary day with our minds set on things above, we will have learned one of the most important spiritual exercises in the Christian life.
How do you keep the fire burning? What are the activities that fuel your spiritual life?
To build our lives on the rock of Jesus’ teaching, we need to take control of our time, instead of letting time control us. The most frequent excuse for not growing in our spiritual lives is lack of time. Most of us live at the mercy of our schedule, instead of planning ahead and arranging our schedule around our apprenticeship to Jesus.
Soul Training Living One Day Devotionally
The spiritual tool for this week is perhaps the most transformational of the Apprentice Series. It is one of the main ways I keep the fire burning on a regular basis.
A spiritual discipline I have found particularly helpful comes from Madame Jeanne Guyon (1648-1717), who lived in France and wrote a lot on the spiritual life, her most famous book being the classic Experiencing the Depths of Jesus Christ. Madame Guyon suffered a great deal in her life, but she managed to develop a deep relationship with God that brought her great peace.
Madame Guyon wrote a treatise to her daughter concerning how to order her daily life around her faith. She titled it How to Pass the Day Devotionally. It is a short and simple yet profound way to pause throughout the day in order to reconnect with God. On pages 216-17 is her account of how to do this. I would like you to consider following her pattern for at least one day this week, and more if possible. I think you will find it encouraging, and you may want to live this way every day. Read through her instructions first, and then I will offer some advice about how you can incorporate some of the Apprentice Series exercises in conjunction with it. I hope you see how this exercise brings together many of the previous practices in the curriculum so far.
1. Go to bed at a reasonable hour. Where there is no set time you cannot establish a pattern. In order not to sleep in too late in the morning, be sure you stay up no later than ten o’clock at night.
2. As soon as you awake, present your first thoughts to the Lord, and offer him the first fruits of the day. As soon as you arise, remember to fall on your knees before God in an act of honor due to his supreme majesty.
3. After you are dressed for the day, spend half an hour in devotion. In that quiet time reflect on the sacrifice that Christ made of himself to the eternal Father, and offer yourself to him, that he may do with you, and in you, what he pleases. Let your principal exercise be an absolute submission to the whole will of God. Remember, to serve him is to reign.
4. Never pass the morning without reading some spiritual book, such as Thomas à Kempis’s The Imitation of Christ. Do not read too much, but what you do read, read with relish and an aim toward application. Read slowly.
5. And when you come from this time of devotion, be careful not to let your spiritual thoughts fade away, but preserve what you have received as a precious gift you do not want to neglect. The fire kindled in prayer soon goes out if it is not kept up the rest of the day. The fuel you must feed it with is frequent recollection, through prayers of love, thanksgiving and the offering of yourself to God. As you go through the day turn your mind inwardly, for there you will find God, who is the center of your soul.
6. In addition to times when you pause for prayer, whenever you have free time you must read the Holy Scripture. This will give you guidance as to how to live as a Christian. Read it often. Make it your principal study. Let it be your daily bread. You will learn there, from Christ himself, what you are called to do, and how not to offend him. Therefore, my dear child I advise you not to pass one day without reading at least a portion of the Bible. Sometimes you may read where the book opens, but let your general method be to read it in order, beginning where you left off last, that you may better understand its beauty and relish its sweetness. Read with humility, with an open and searching mind, in order to edify and nourish your soul. Ask yourself as you reflect: Based on this passage of the Bible, what is God calling me to do today?
7. You may pass the rest of your day at work or in visiting your friends. But have this goal in mind: Never spend an entire day without reserving some part of it for recollection and prayer.
8. As you prepare for sleep try to examine yourself, particularly, your thoughts and words and actions of the previous day. Do this with a contrite heart and make a resolution to improve tomorrow and ask God for his assistance. Bask in the peaceful presence of God until you drop asleep. This will make you rest well. Rise again in that same disposition of humility and adoration and surrender, and do the same thing the next day.
How to Practice Madame Guyon’s Method
Go to bed at a reasonable hour (say 10 p.m.). Remember, sleep was the very first exercise we engaged in the Apprentice curriculum (in the first book, The Good and Beautiful God). We must be rested in order to awake and focus on God. We cannot live an effective life as a Christ-follower if we are exhausted. A good day starts the night before.
Turn your thoughts to God as soon as you awake. A key apprentice practice is setting our minds on things above (Colossians 3:1), on having the right narratives and ideas about God. This is a great way to begin your day—turn to God and offer a prayer. You may want to say, “This is a day you have made for me, God, so I will rejoice and be glad in it. Be with me this day, and help me to trust in you for all that I do this day.”
Spend a half hour in a time of devotion. This may be a challenge for some, depending on your schedule. It will likely mean getting up a half hour earlier than normal—hence the need to “go to bed at a reasonable hour.” If you can only find fifteen minutes, that is at least a good start. What will you do during this time? Madame Guyon suggests that we reflect on the sacrifice made by Jesus, and then offer ourselves to God in response. For me, this involves being still for a few minutes and then spending time reflecting on the passion of Jesus. Then I usually pray something like, “As you have given yourself to me, so I will give myself to you, God.” Sometimes I pray a famous prayer of John Wesley, known as the “Covenant Prayer.”
I am no longer my own but yours.
put me to what you will,
rank me with whom you will;
put me to doing, put me to suffering;
let me be exalted for you or brought low for you;
let me be full, let me be empty;
let me have all things, let me have nothing;
I freely and heartily yield all things to your pleasure and disposal.
And now, glorious and blessed God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
you are mine and I am yours.
So be it.
And the Covenant which I have made on earth,
let it be ratified in heaven.
Set aside time to read a devotional book. Madame Guyon suggests Thomas à Kempis’s The Imitation of Christ, which is written in short passages that are full of depth and are perfect for reading in short segments. Whatever devotional you find helpful will do. Many people also enjoy Oswald Chambers’s classic My Utmost for His Highest or perhaps a daily devotional booklet such as The Upper Room or Guideposts.
Turn to God in prayer throughout the day. I like to pause between activities for a few minutes (five to ten minutes is all I need) to be still and turn my thoughts to God. This is a great way to give your cares and concerns to him. Whatever is on your heart, turn it into a prayer. It may also be helpful to pray the Twenty-third Psalm once each day. This can be done when you are walking or driving.
Set aside time to read from the Bible. This does not have to be an in-depth Bible study. I like to have the Scriptures wash over my mind. Currently I am working my way through 1 Corinthians, reading a few verses a day. I like to do this mid-morning, in between classes. You will need to find a break in your day when you can do this. For some it may have to be before or after a lunch or coffee break.
End your day with a time of self-examination and prayer. As you fall asleep, think over the previous day. Ask yourself if there is anything you wish you had not done or had done in another way. This is what it means to examine yourself. Turn the matter over to God and seek his wisdom, especially if you are unsure about whether something is a sin. If you discover a fault, then resolve to amend your behavior in the future and ask God to assist you. Not all of your behavior will be negative, and in fact, there likely will be things that you did well. Be sure to give thanks and rejoice over those things.
I also like to fall asleep counting my blessings. As the old song goes, “If you’re worried and you can’t sleep, / just count your blessings instead of sheep, / and you’ll fall asleep counting your blessings.”
One final warning: don’t fall into legalism by trying to do it exactly as Madame Guyon prescribes. Focus on the spirit of the exercise; don’t turn it into law. And don’t conclude that you must do this exercise every day. Remember, the spiritual tools are wise ways to live with God, not means to getting God to like us.
This exercise is a great blessing to me, and if it is for you, I recommend that you do it as often as you can.
