Day 22...All the More to see you With

Day 22... All the More to see you With

Bible verse:

Then he said to them all:  "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.  For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it"  Luke 9-23-24.

In today's lesson Moore discusses global positioning systems (GPS) and how they are built for all different types of vehicles and even bikers and hikers, to help them find their way.  To give direction.  We all need direction some days don't we?  We don't always ask for it, but find that when we ask the right question to the correct person, we generally get the answer we need.  Not necessarily the answer we want, but the one we need.  Right?

"Today we want to explore the way God's Spirit instructs us through members of our small group" (Moore, 2007).

Now, we all have friends we hang around with, meet for dinner, do Bible study with, or meet with for Sunday school, just to name a few.  When we have a problem and we discuss it with these friends, they all seem to have the solution to our problem.  They sincerely want to help, but sometimes their solutions just aren't what we need.  We need to "lift our sights higher" (2007).  We need to look to God for direction, and when our Christian small groups are tuned into God, then He can speak through them.  Moore (2007) points out that if God can speak through a burning bush or a donkey, He surely can speak through us to offer spiritual instruction and direction to fellow travelers on the Christian way.

How can small groups accomplish being spiritual directors with God's help?  Well they can assist us in

• Discerning the work of God in our lives
• Listening for God's voice
• Recognizing the presence of God in our current situation
• Seeing our blind spots
• Living a life true to God's call

Our daily lives and all of the activity that we tell ourselves that we have to do, some of which is required like work and taking care of the family are necessary, but all of the other things, the distractions steal our ability to see the big spiritual picture of our lives.  Do you agree?

As the group turns its mind to what God wants and His direction then they (and we) can help one another stay on the right spiritual path.  It is through the spiritual exercises discussed on Days 6-12; quiet conversations, quiet listening, quiet reading, quiet thinking, quiet writing, quiet simplicity, and quiet examination that group members grow and develop spiritually.

I am comforted that the author states that spiritual maturity does not equal perfection.  However, as we continue our spiritual exercises we will continue to grow, in spite of our idiosyncrasies. 

While we are on this journey, and we learn to share our concerns, joys, problems with our small Christian groups, listen for God, know that He is with us, even though we probably won't get our answers immediately, we must learn to be patient and wait on the Lord.  It is His timing that is most important.

Open yourself this week to the spiritual direction of your group.  Let God instruct you in new ways as He speaks to you through group members.  You'll be amazed at how God can communicate to you through trusted friends.  In doing so you will once again encounter Christ in a unique way (Moore, 2007).

Remember:  God often offers spiritual direction for your life through your small group.  Listen carefully!

God Bless!