TL’s Spiritual To-Do List

Getting started in the day is often difficult for me to do. Even more important than getting my body going is firing up my spirit for a connected, empowered day. Here is my* "Spiritual To Do List" of directives, to help me keep my spirit in tune throughout the day. I hope in sharing mine, you may get some ideas for your own spiritual dialogue that helps you to, "continue steadfastly in prayer."

IN THE MORNING
Get grateful – Before you even rise from bed, thank God for life, breath, and another opportunity to live as His representative here on Earth. “This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118:24)

Get up – Stretch and breathe, affirming that God’s Spirit has been breathed into you. “The LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” (Genesis 2:7)

Get breakfast – Thank God for the provision to get you through your day, and for the ability to bypass all the unnecessary luxuries and delicacies that others want, but you recognize you do not need. “Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.” (Proverbs 30:8)

Get wise – Read the chapter of Proverbs that corresponds to the day of the month. Thank God for wisdom. “Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.” (Proverbs 4:7) “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.” (James 1:5)

Get clean – While in the shower, visualize the washing of water and blood of Christ that saves you. Ask for a fresh outpouring of His Spirit to empower you through your day. Acknowledge that His compassions are new every morning. (Lamentations 3:23) “Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. …Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.” (Psalm 51:7, 10-12)

Get anointed – As you pour on your creams, lotions, or potions, give thanks to God for His ancient decree, “Do not touch my anointed ones; do my prophets no harm.” (Psalm 105:15) Recall your own baptism and remember that, “Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” (2 Corinthians 1:21-22)

Get dressed – As you put on your clothes, reaffirm that you are clothed in righteousness, “…for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.” (Galatians 3:27) “Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” (Colossians 3:12)

THROUGH THE DAY
Get going – Look for God to guide you and be willing to follow His lead. “Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.” (Psalm 86:11)

Get committed – Make sure God is a part of every activity of your day. “Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.” (Proverbs 16:3) “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Colossians 3:17)

Get productive – Make the most of your day, remembering that each contact and every obstacle is an opportunity to demonstrate your faithfulness. “Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order that they may provide for daily necessities and not live unproductive lives.” (Titus 3:14) “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.” (James 1:2-3)

IN THE EVENING
Get forgiving – Make sure you leave whatever grudges and disappointments at the bedside before you retire. “Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” (Colossians 3:13) “But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” (Matthew 6:15) “Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry…” (Ephesians 4:26)

Get introspective – Before concluding your day, look back and judge yourself. Commit to God your failures, and leave them for Him to deal with. “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23-24) “But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment.” (1 Corinthians 11:31)

Get repentant – Confess your sin and return your life, your energy, your very being back over to God, and commit to Him all that you are. “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14) “Into your hands I commit my spirit; redeem me, O LORD, the God of truth.” (Psalm 31:5)


*Note
I wrote this list of directives for myself, and later decided to share it online. It occurred to me that since it appears in directive format, this lends itself to a superior, instructing tone that was never intended. Please remember this is a personal "To-Do" list for me.

Whitewashed Tombs

A Communion Meditation

At Communion time, we often hear the familiar passage from 1 Corinthians 11:28, “A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup.” In Matthew 23, Jesus pronounces seven “woes” to the congregation before him. In the crowd were some who were eagerly seeking Jesus, the hungry, the sick, the empty, and the lonely, those looking for the Way to a better life. There were also in the crowd, hypocrites, those whose religion was only surface deep. Jesus cried out, “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.” When we truly look on the inside of ourselves, do we see darkness and decay, or is it truly the home...of the Light of Life?

That familiar passage in 1 Corinthians 11 continues, “But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment.” Just because we realize that we have some cleaning up to do, does not mean we are not welcome at the Lord's table. In fact 1 John 1:8 says, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. The good news of the gospel is, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” God cleans us up!

Zacchaeus knew that he was a wee, little man and would not be able to come to Jesus on his short legs. When Jesus saw that he was eager enough to find him, that he, a grown man, climbed a tree just to get a glimpse, Jesus had compassion and was faithful to come into his home and life.

When we, in awesome wonder, consider all the worlds the Lord our God has made... When we see the clouds and hear the rolling thunder, and see His power throughout the universe displayed... We should consider just how small we are compared to a Great and Awesome God as that. We should consider the rottenness underneath the whitewashed facade, and seek Him out, whatever it takes, so that He can come into our homes and lives.

The miracle of the Lord's Supper is that the Most High has furnished a way for wee little men to commune with the Great and Powerful Master of the Universe. By taking this bread of life, we restore flesh to the decaying bones inside us. This cup of the blood of the Lamb washes us clean, from the inside, out.

Allow me to read a few verses from Psalm 51. I pray you will apply these to your hearts.

1 Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.

2 Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.

3 For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.

7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.

9 Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity.

10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

11 Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.

12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

14 Save me from bloodguilt, O God,
the God who saves me,
and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.

Anger Begins with "I"

A psychologist buddy of mine is fond of saying that anger is a disguise for other feelings: hurt, fear and helplessness. Furthermore, he lectures, each of these feelings that lead to expressions of anger are based in our primal self-centered nature.

"Hurt" refers to the physical, emotional or spiritual pain one might experience. Hurt is summed up by the phrase, "I am in pain." The fear that leads to expressions of anger is the fear of losing what one has or not getting what one wants. It is the primary fear we learned in the crib, and it was usually reinforced when Mother brought us that thing for which we screamed. Helplessness is the feeling of our inability to affect change, and can be summed up in the phrase, "I am powerless."

These three emotions are almost always based on either shame or guilt, two different but similar psychological concepts. Shame relates to self-worth, and is characterized by the sentiment, "I don't measure up." Guilt, on the other hand, has to do with the application of the standards of right and wrong to one's behavior. It is the self-assessment of, "I have done wrong."

As I listened to my friend's lecture on this subject, I couldn't help but test his theories by examining on my own tendencies toward expressions of anger. Not only did I find these concepts to be true, I was immediately stricken by the observation that every one of these emotions is unnecessary in the life of one who has been washed in the blood of Jesus Christ!

Shame, the feeling of worthlessness, should be completely annulled by the kinship we have with the Creator. Because Jesus redeemed us and paid the debt our sin required, we are his relative. As purchased children of the Most High, we have no reason to find ourselves in any way worthless. Guilt, likewise, has been atoned for by the grace of Jesus' sacrifice. "There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus ." (Romans 8:1 ) Hurt, fear and helplessness, the three emotional responses to shame and guilt, have no place in the life of a Christian because at the root of each of them is the idolatry of selfishness. "I am in pain," "I want," and "I am powerless," all have one thing in common: they have self on the throne where Christ should be.

Disappointment only comes when expectations are not realized. When we build up false expectations with ourselves at the center, we are bound to be disappointed. But when the Lord is seated on the throne of our lives, and self is routinely kept in its place, everlasting joy is possible. Jesus said, " If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." ( Luke 9:23)

Consider God's response to Job when he dared to presume he did not deserve affliction. God's response in Job chapters 38-41 was basically, "Who do you think you are?" (paraphrase mine) When we find ourselves in pain, we should, as Paul put it in Romans 5, "rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us… " When we feel afraid, we should remember the words of Jesus, "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell ." (Matthew 10:28 ) When we feel helpless, we are called to follow the example of Paul, and delight in our weakness. " But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." ( 2 Corinthians 12:9-10) In order to defeat anger and the bitterness that can result from it, we must break the habit of self-absorption. When we can truly put self on the cross, and offer ourselves as living sacrifices ( Romans 12:1-3), we free our spirits to walk in real joy with the Way, the Truth and the Life.