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2025-01-15 21:32
By, David Butler
Finding God, Finding Yourself
If only I knew where I could find God, and come before his judgment seat; ... where the upright can reason with him, and I would be forever delivered from him who judges me. But when I go forward, he is not there; and when I turn back, I cannot see him. He works on the left, but I cannot see him; he hides himself on the right, but I cannot see him. Yet he knows the way I take; after he has tested me, I will come forth as pure gold.
Real spiritual practice and spiritual cultivation are not on the mountain, in the hotel, or just in the church. Real spiritual practice cannot be separated from our actual life, society, and reality. We need to practice living in spiritual practice and spiritual practice in life, so that our body, mind, and spirit can be united and our spiritual life can grow. Our personal spiritual practice does not necessarily have to be separated from our actual life and work, and go to a special place; we do not necessarily have to read a spiritual book specifically for the purpose of reading it. In fact, our spiritual practice is inseparable from our daily life. The purpose of spiritual practice, Bible reading, and prayer is also to better solve the problems in our actual life. Talking about spiritual practice without considering our daily life seems to be an escape from and fear of facing our problems.
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
- Hebrews 4:12
Therefore, we should pray, meditate and reflect truthfully and seriously before God, use faith to understand life and practice life, and examine ourselves with God's words at all times; discard our arrogance, greed, expectations and fear of the future, and look up to God with a pure heart, rather than focusing on a certain person or a fixed form. God gives us different environments so that we can rely on him to overcome them, and learn different spiritual exercises and practice lessons from different life situations, so that we can constantly improve ourselves before God. Because the Lord "knows the way I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as pure gold" (Job 23:10). As Christians, we should obey the Lord's commandments and grasp the direction of our lives. Because life is only once for us, we should not waste our lives on some empty external things.
Dear brothers and sisters, spiritual practice begins with our practical problems. Every problem we encounter in life is a test of our spiritual life. Because God "knows what is in a man" (John 2:25). Therefore, spiritual practice and prayer cannot be empty talk or metaphysical talk. We must start with practical problems and check the actual living conditions of each of us. If spiritual practice falls into empty talk and metaphysical talk, it will lose the practical significance of faith and become a bunch of doctrines, empty talk and hypocrisy. Such spiritual practice often does not have a single problem that fits our actual situation, and it does not get any help from faith. Once we encounter a problem, we will still be distressed and anxious. What is the meaning of such spiritual practice? Our faith and spiritual life must be carried out in the concrete facts of troubles or pain. The specific problems of each of us will become the entrance to our spiritual practice. For example: every time we encounter a troublesome and unpleasant thing, every emotional fluctuation, every time fear appears... it is the best start for us to rely on God and seek God's help. In such spiritual practice, we can not only rely on God and meet God, but also meet the truest self in spiritual practice. Because the Lord "knows the hearts of all men" (Acts 1:24). We must not regard spiritual practice as a kind of spiritual entertainment or a spiritual feast. May we all face the Lord and our own hearts in our pursuit of faith, and firmly and constantly remind ourselves: "My feet have followed his steps; I have kept his ways and have not departed from them." (Job 23:11)
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