Three times Jesus invited Peter to be spiritually alert in the Garden of Gethsemane, and three times Peter fell asleep. A lot of ink is spent, and a lot of sermons preached, on how Peter denied knowing Jesus; but before Peter ever denied Jesus in big ways, he denied Him in small ways. (See Matt 26:36-46).It seems to me there are three phases to God's involvment in our lives:
1) Invitation. God invites us into a new, deeper, perhaps stretching experience with Him. Perhaps we have never thought of this before. It is new. This can be exciting, but we are prone to get weary over time ... which leads to the second phase:
2) Correction. God patiently returns and challenges us back to his original call upon our lives. My experience has been that God is extremely patient and gracious in this phase. But it doesn't last forever. There is the 3rd phase:
3) Missed Opportunity. God will leave us slumbering if we ignore Him long enough. There are times when God wants to do things in our lives, but we are unavailable, so He will pass us by. And God still does what He has planned, but we miss out on the privilege of partnering with Him.
Makes me want to respond to His invitations, and corrections, quickly. How about you?
1 comment:
Doug
Just finished a chapter in "The Rest of God" and discovered a powerful definition of Sabbath. Wanted to share it with you as I know you have read the book. It was a great insight for me.
From the Tolkein series, Lord of the Rings:
"The future, good or ill, was not forgotten, but ceased to have power over the present."
That's Sabbath!
I am trying to discover a new Sabbath reality in my busy life. Appreciate your encouragement through your messages each week.
Blessings,
Blake
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