The Sounds of Silence

Mark 1:35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. 

The info below caught my attention:

Fifty-three hours . . . by anyone’s standards, that’s a long, hard workweek. So are you sitting down? Fifty-three hours is the amount of time each week that the average American spends on some form of electronic entertainment.

Think about it: TV. Video games. Music. Movies online. All kinds of social media. Many young people carry smart phones in their pockets. They stay constantly connected to entertainment and to each other.

Connection is good, but our lives also need quiet space: periods when we unplug machines and plug ourselves into solitude. In order to learn from the wisdom around us, we all need times of silence . . . in the high calling of our daily work.

Most of you have heard me refer to my ‘cocoon’ time when I disconnect from the noise of the world. For me, this disconnect time is vital to my inner balance and, yes, on some days, my sanity. I acknowledge this need for ‘down time, quiet, silence, space’…call it what you like, I require this, and I protect it. It is one of my ‘non-negotiables’ in how I spend my time. Let’s face it, if we do not structure our own time and energy, others and situations will line up to dictate it to us and drain us of every ounce.

Jesus knew the demands on His time and energy were relentless and stepped away from the crowds to have time alone with His Father. Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. He sought solitude to renew, restore and refresh alone in prayer.

Some people have a lot of trouble being alone. Some really cannot stand a period of silence and must have something, anything making noise in the background if nothing else. For these folks, the sounds of silence scream loudly. For others it is almost painful not to be in constant contact with friends and family. I love my family and friends, too, but I do not feel the need to talk to each of them several times a day…every day. Doesn’t mean I love them less. We all know at least one someone that has to talk all the time to fill the void they find in solitude and/or silence. Thus the market for ‘TV. Video games. Music. Movies online. All kinds of social media. Many young people carry smart phones in their pockets. They stay constantly connected to entertainment and to each other.’

I know I’m not the most objective person on this subject because I need and enjoy my time of silence and solitude but I have to wonder what it is people are missing in their lives when they seem compelled to fill every moment and action with voices, sound effects and mental distractions.

We start off by thinking our babies won’t grow up to the brightest in pre-school if we do not ‘stimulate’ their little brains with flashing lights and bright colors. We have programmed several generations of people to think they have to be entertained all the time, so we manufacture expensive gadgets to entertain them. These gadgets are almost obsolete by the time we buy them and the latest and greatest is in the sidelines just waiting for people to line up in front of stores to be the first of their peers to own it. Now we can take the world everywhere we go and never have one moment of disconnect unless we lose a signal, at which point we go momentarily insane until we are connected again.

When was the last time you heard someone saying they couldn’t stand it because it had been thirty minutes since they could ‘connect’ with God? Where were you when people lined up and camped out to praise Jesus? How long has it been since you unplugged and turned off everything electronic just to have some peaceful alone time listening for the Holy Spirit? Are we drowning out the soft, still voice of God by all the noise?

Him Who Strengthens Me

Philippians 4:11-13 Not that I speak from want; for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

In times of spiritual need, God is faithful to remind us of that which we need to hear when we need to hear it. Over this past weekend, God provided me with three different sources of comfort and confirmation on the passages above. I knew then this would be the scripture for the posting today, if only to share the blessings I received from Him. Let’s break down the separate verses:

Vs 11. Not that I speak from want, Paul's joy was not because he was short of money and their contribution had taken care of his needs, although this was apparently the case because he was in prison in Rome, but because of the flourishing of their thoughtfulness toward him. In other words, his joy is not selfish, but derives solely from his thoughts of them and the “proof” of their godly care for him. For I have learned to be content in whatever state I am, Paul is saying that he had learned by the teaching of the Holy Spirit and by divine providence to be content in whatever state he found himself. Autarkes, the Greek word for “content,” appears only here in the New Testament. The word literally means “sufficient for one's self, strong enough to need no aid or support.” Paul did not claim his self-sufficiency originated with himself, or that it had anything to do with his own wisdom or power. He was independent of circumstances, thus self-sufficient, because of his trust in and dependence on the Lord. It is important to note he said he, “I have learned to be content” because none of us are born with that ability. From the moment a baby is born, that is obvious. We are born crying for what we want when we want it. No one has to teach us about ‘instant gratification’; it is ‘…learning to be content in whatever state’ we must learn.

Vs 12. I know how to get along with humble means, In the Hebrew-Greek Bible from which I took passage, get along with humble means is defined in this scripture as ‘in the passive, to be abased, brought low.’ The Greek word for ‘abased’ means ‘to make low, to reduce to meaner (leaner) circumstances.’ The apostle had learned to accept his abased circumstances in a gracious, uncomplaining spirit (II Corinthians 4:8; 6:9,10). How often can we say we are accepting of our times of being abased and doing without in a gracious, uncomplaining spirit? Unless we are taught by the Holt Spirit, as was Paul, we default to grumbling and whining more often than not. And I also know how to live in prosperity. Paul, as a faithful Christian, did not let poverty degrade him nor prosperity exalt him. We, too, need to know our value as a person in Christ is not dependent on what we have or lack. We are not ‘less than’ just because we have less than the next guy. When God looks at us, He does not line us up as priorities based on our financial status. It is sad that some organizations, churches or people give special consideration to those with more bucks in hopes of gaining from them, but this is not a godly mentality, this is the human flesh thinking we are to avoid.  ..in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both having abundance and suffering need. Whether full or hungry, prosperous or poor, Paul had learned to conduct himself as a trusting, loving disciple of the Lord. Remember Paul back when he was called Saul and persecuting Christians? In the transformation from Christian killer to the apostle now writing as he sat in chains in prison, we can see change possible only when the love of Christ and ministering teachings from the Holy Spirit are manifested. He was a willing and eager student who became a great teacher for the cause of spreading the gospel.

Vs 13. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Boy, if I had a dollar for every time I’ve prayed this scripture! It is a statement of faith in Christ that says in all the circumstances of life Paul was convinced that he could bear fruit to the glory of God through the strength the Lord gave him. I count on Christ to strengthen me and I pray my actions and behavior bear fruit of the glory of God. I fall short of that mark and my ‘fruit’ gets squeezed sometimes but He helps me up when I fall, brushes me off and forgives me. What a sweet and precious experience!

Fruit of the Spirit 2

Psalm 143:10 Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.

Still looking at the Fruit of the Spirit, we see in Jeremiah (6:19), God speaks of the disaster which is about to come, and speaks of it as "the fruit of their plans" -- that which comes from evil scheming. So the evil in us can also come to fruition. Rotten fruit.

The early church continued this concern about how those with the Spirit develop a character like Christ's. Some of them spend much of their writing time on describing what this character is. Polycarp, for instance, in his letter to the church in Philippi, wrote that the church's leaders are to have "a wide compassion for humanity", which does not put off doing kindnesses. He, like the apostle Paul, also writes about what is not a part of this character: gossip, the undermining of others, easily believing ill of others, loose sexual behavior, empty speech, quick temper, and most especially the eagerness for money. That would be more akin to rotten fruit.

Many believers, unfortunately, forgot how deeply marred we are by sin, and saw failure to live in these 'fruit' as proof that the Spirit was not at work. This resulted in a new legalism made of a decision to obey behavioral rules rooted in law, not in a soul which grew through the Spirit's work to bear good fruit.

You don't need to turn to the Law to give rise to character in ourselves and our children. You need to turn to the Spirit, and trust that the Spirit will be working overtime to change you, working literally till Kingdom come, refashioning you so you become like Christ.

The early church understood this. They didn't go around saying they had the Holy Spirit and thus needed no human teachers. They instead took each other aside and corrected each other, and those who understood the Christian way best (especially the apostles) taught it to the others. They accepted their responsibility for spiritual growth in their fellow believers. Even the apostles were not above correction, as Paul so sharply points out in Galatians. They understood that by way of mutual education and the use of discernment, in the power of the Holy Spirit, they could grow as Christians. The evidence of growth was the fruit. The "fullness of the Spirit" is when the gifts are applied fruit-fully.

Unity is a fruit of the Spirit, found in the "one anothers" of Colossians. But it is not always immediately so. Jesus' work set father against son and mother against daughter, and the Spirit takes after Jesus' ministry. In Acts 15, even though the Jerusalem Council was being guided by the Spirit, division arose. They wrestled with the matter, done with an attitude of 'show us, Spirit!' Where there is such tension, the Spirit brings reconciliation.

 
The organism of believers known as the Christian Church is able to hold, and to benefit from, the human race's many cultures, outlooks, theologies, histories and styles. Yet the Church can only be truly 'of the whole' when it embraces and sustains the whole truth. It means not just being broad in most ways, it also means being clear about what to reject. This we learn, Friends, by being sensitive to and listening for the Holy Spirit in us and allowing the lessons in ‘fruitfulness of the spirit’ to change us. Where there are believers abounding in a harvest of good fruit, there is more harmony and peace in the body. I could use more peace and harmony, how about you?

Fruitful Life

Colossians 3:12-15 (HGSB) And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. And beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body, and be thankful.

The Scripture above is beautiful. It also seems like a tall order and almost impossible to live out. How do you get to the point where you can lay human emotion aside and walk out the forgiveness and gentleness of behavior it talks about? Fact is, on your own you can’t.

Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

When Christians speak of the work of the "Holy Spirit", they are speaking about the operations of the Spirit of God in the material world we live in, and within us. But God the Holy Spirit isn't here just to hang out, or to do a miracle for sport, or bliss someone out for an hour or so. The Spirit is there to cause things to happen in peoples' lives that bring them more in tune with God's purposes on earth. When the Spirit starts changing someone, it shows as a growth in character, a change in their way of life that is good for the people they live among. This change in character and way of life is called a 'fruit of the Spirit'.

Paul's Galatians list is both something you are and something you do. It is the Spirit giving you the character of Christ; it is treating others and relating to creation as a whole in the manner of the Kingdom of God. There are other such lists in the Epistles, and they are also relevant to any talk about the fruit of the Spirit.

In 1 Corinthians 13, in the midst of Paul's description of the gifts of the Spirit, there is a section on love. While not directly about 'fruit', it is about what springs from love, and it is in much the same vein. Love is the underpinning of what the Spirit is doing, the 'why' of it.

These fruit lists describe what a Christian grows into, over time. This is the way a person lives when the Spirit is being productive within. There was no word in there about being given the Midas touch for resolving all financial woes. There are no verses about crusading for a just society, though there is something about being just. These lists are completely silent about miraculous deeds or the gifts of wisdom or knowledge or discernment as signs of the Spirit's rule within a person. The lists give no special credit to official power or office or responsibility. It sounds instead like a repeated refrain from Jesus (Matthew 7:16, 20) that one knows God's followers 'by their fruits'. Or, like the apostle Paul's urgings that the Roman church bear fruit for God, or James about being full of mercy and good fruit. Or John the Baptist, or even the proverb which says that "the fruit of righteousness is a tree of life". These matters of character are the stuff which gives life-ness to life. It is holiness taking root in you. It is something you are, not just something you do or think.

When the Spirit is at home in someone, that person will start taking on the characteristics described as the fruit of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit works to change Christians so they have the depth of character and faith the Bible talks about. It's not automatic or sudden. Like everything else in this broken world and its broken people, it's something that arises only in part, not completely, in this life. The Spirit never leaves "well enough" alone, but is always working for something better.

Swamps of Life

Psalms 107:2-6 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy; And gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south. They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way; they found no city to dwell in. Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them. Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses.

I found this encouraging; I hope you do as well.

In his book, Pilgrim's Progress, John Bunyan has written one of the most beautiful allegories about the journey we all travel as believers.  The book describes the hero, Christian, and his journey from the City of Destruction to his heavenly destination, the Celestial City.

At one point during their travels, Christian and his companion suddenly find themselves in the Swamp of Despondency. Still bearing his burden, Christian, begins to sink in the mire.  His traveling companion manages to get out, but returns to the City of Destruction without giving aid to Christian.  Christian is left all alone and sinking even deeper in the mire, until Help, the allegorical figure for the Holy Spirit pulls him free from the swamp.

Christian then asks Help why this dangerous plot of land has not been mended so that poor travelers might go safely to the Celestial City. Help replies, "This miry slough is such a place that cannot be mended."

How true it is in real life!  As hard as we try to avoid them, whether young in the Lord, or spiritually mature…swamps of despondency seem inevitable, and we must struggle through them.

Charles Spurgeon once wrote to his students in the book, Lectures to my Students, "Fits of depression come over most of us.  Usually cheerful as we may be, we must at intervals be cast down.  The strong are not always vigorous, the wise not always ready, the brave not always courageous, and the joyous not always happy.  There may be here and there men of iron…but surely the rust frets even these."

There are times in our lives when we will struggle through the swamps of despondency — but praise God that He has provided us a helper for those times of need!  We need to press through, seeking and trusting the power of the Holy Spirit to pull us out of those nasty swamps, and set our feet back upon the Rock of our salvation.  Let's also look around us to see our brethren who may be struggling in the swamps of despondency; so rather than abandoning them, we might give them a hand on their journey to the celestial city!