Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God,which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
Question: What do you have a habit of turning to?
Our first question of was a question of right now: Who are you turning to? We answered with the first verse of the first paragraph of our team verse. Rejoice in the Lord. That's where we always try to turn in the moment. Turn to Jesus, with joy!
Our second question picks up the same theme, but instead of thinking about just right now, let's begin to think about our habits. What do we turn to time after time? For good, or for bad.
I'm not a huge fan of Greek philosophers most of the time, but I think that Jesus might have agreed with this famous quote from Aristotle: "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit."
This is why, when Jesus called to the disciples, to the rich young ruler, to all of us, Jesus doesn't call, "Believe in this." Instead, Jesus' call is always, "Follow me." Follow me into a way of life. Into healthy and holy habits. Into repeatedly seeking God.
Think about how God has worked through habits throughout the Bible. Habits of pausing to remember God with joy:
1. Sabbath - where we rest from our work.
2. Passover - where we remember how we were set free.
3. Pentecost - where we remember the giving of God's law for guidance.
Then then how the Christian community and early followers of Jesus continued these habits.
1. Sabbath - where we remember Jesus' resurrection.
2. Easter - where we remember how we were set free.
3. Pentecost - where we remember the giving of God's Holy Spirit for guidance.
The ancient Jews and the early Christians built other habits into their days as well. They paused 3-5 times a day for prayer. They said blessings before their meals. They made it a habit to gather together on Sabbath days for worship.
I like the idea of practicing habits, but I like to call them rhythms. I have some rhythms of my own life, like morning Bible reading and prayer, Sunday gathering with other Jesus followers, and more. Repetition is so important.
We actually all have rhythms and habits. Some of these are good, but some are not. We have rhythms and habits of dealing with stress, by turning to frustration or anger. We have rhythms and habits of dealing with disappointment, by turning to shaming ourselves, being afraid to try, or deceiving ourselves by telling ourselves lies about our worth.
We can feel it when we are turning to these damaging habits. Our muscles get tight. Our breathing speeds up. Our fists begin to clench. Angry words form on our tongues, words that may be aimed at others or aimed at ourselves. Frustration and fear turn into thoughts and actions that say "I can't!" instead of "I can!" We start saying shameful things about ourselves, about how we aren't good enough. We know what this feels like. We have bad rhythms and habits.
So, what should we do when we feel this?
Start with a smile. Recognize with a laugh that you are doing that useless, silly rhythm or habit again. Smile, because we all do it. Smile, because you almost got fooled. Smile, because you are being silly. Smile, because you are going to make a decision to stop that rhythm :-)
Move to a deep breath. A clearing breath, a cleansing breath. Say a one word prayer: Jesus. That's where you want to turn. That's the habit and rhythm you want to form. Breath in the truth that God is right with you. "The Lord is near," is how our team verse puts it. Breathe and smile!
Then close your eyes and visualize what you do want to do in the situation. What rhythm do you want to form? What habit do you want to see become part of your reactions? How do you want to act? See yourself moving that way.
Our second question is really answered by our second paragraph of the team verse: "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." Our habits and rhythms should be formed around thinking about what is true, good, and right.
So... what do you do? How do you start to turn habitually toward the good, toward Jesus?
1. Smile when you recognize your bad habit.
2. Take a deep breath.
3. Visualize the good and the right.
4. Do it!
Prayer
God, in tennis and in life, give us the power to pause. Give us the gift of Your Spirit, to help us recognize our foolishness, laugh at our mistakes, and turn to You. You've promised us that we can come to you with confidence, without condemnation. You receive us with warmth, as the father received his prodigal son. Continue to guide us into Your way, into Your rhythms, into Your habits. Thank You for the joy that we find there, following after You. In Jesus name, amen.
Our second question picks up the same theme, but instead of thinking about just right now, let's begin to think about our habits. What do we turn to time after time? For good, or for bad.
I'm not a huge fan of Greek philosophers most of the time, but I think that Jesus might have agreed with this famous quote from Aristotle: "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit."
This is why, when Jesus called to the disciples, to the rich young ruler, to all of us, Jesus doesn't call, "Believe in this." Instead, Jesus' call is always, "Follow me." Follow me into a way of life. Into healthy and holy habits. Into repeatedly seeking God.
Think about how God has worked through habits throughout the Bible. Habits of pausing to remember God with joy:
1. Sabbath - where we rest from our work.
2. Passover - where we remember how we were set free.
3. Pentecost - where we remember the giving of God's law for guidance.
Then then how the Christian community and early followers of Jesus continued these habits.
1. Sabbath - where we remember Jesus' resurrection.
2. Easter - where we remember how we were set free.
3. Pentecost - where we remember the giving of God's Holy Spirit for guidance.
The ancient Jews and the early Christians built other habits into their days as well. They paused 3-5 times a day for prayer. They said blessings before their meals. They made it a habit to gather together on Sabbath days for worship.
I like the idea of practicing habits, but I like to call them rhythms. I have some rhythms of my own life, like morning Bible reading and prayer, Sunday gathering with other Jesus followers, and more. Repetition is so important.
We actually all have rhythms and habits. Some of these are good, but some are not. We have rhythms and habits of dealing with stress, by turning to frustration or anger. We have rhythms and habits of dealing with disappointment, by turning to shaming ourselves, being afraid to try, or deceiving ourselves by telling ourselves lies about our worth.
We can feel it when we are turning to these damaging habits. Our muscles get tight. Our breathing speeds up. Our fists begin to clench. Angry words form on our tongues, words that may be aimed at others or aimed at ourselves. Frustration and fear turn into thoughts and actions that say "I can't!" instead of "I can!" We start saying shameful things about ourselves, about how we aren't good enough. We know what this feels like. We have bad rhythms and habits.
So, what should we do when we feel this?
Start with a smile. Recognize with a laugh that you are doing that useless, silly rhythm or habit again. Smile, because we all do it. Smile, because you almost got fooled. Smile, because you are being silly. Smile, because you are going to make a decision to stop that rhythm :-)
Move to a deep breath. A clearing breath, a cleansing breath. Say a one word prayer: Jesus. That's where you want to turn. That's the habit and rhythm you want to form. Breath in the truth that God is right with you. "The Lord is near," is how our team verse puts it. Breathe and smile!
Then close your eyes and visualize what you do want to do in the situation. What rhythm do you want to form? What habit do you want to see become part of your reactions? How do you want to act? See yourself moving that way.
Our second question is really answered by our second paragraph of the team verse: "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." Our habits and rhythms should be formed around thinking about what is true, good, and right.
So... what do you do? How do you start to turn habitually toward the good, toward Jesus?
1. Smile when you recognize your bad habit.
2. Take a deep breath.
3. Visualize the good and the right.
4. Do it!
Prayer
God, in tennis and in life, give us the power to pause. Give us the gift of Your Spirit, to help us recognize our foolishness, laugh at our mistakes, and turn to You. You've promised us that we can come to you with confidence, without condemnation. You receive us with warmth, as the father received his prodigal son. Continue to guide us into Your way, into Your rhythms, into Your habits. Thank You for the joy that we find there, following after You. In Jesus name, amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Got some input? Feel free to post below!