Benefits of spending time with God

This look at the benefits of spending time with God is an excerpt from the Spending Time with God book by pastor Danny Hodges of the Calvary Chapel Fellowship in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Become more forgiving
It is impossible to spend time with God and never become more forgiving. Since we have experienced God's forgiveness in our lives, it has allowed us to forgive others. In Luke 11: 4, Jesus taught His disciples to pray: "Forgive us for our sins, because we also forgive all those who sin against us." We must forgive how the Lord has forgiven us. We have been forgiven a lot, so in turn we forgive a lot.

Become more tolerant
I have found in my experience that forgiving is one thing, but prohibiting is another thing. Often the Lord will treat us of a matter of forgiveness. It humiliates and forgives us, allowing us to get to the point where, in turn, we can forgive the person who told us to forgive. But if that person is our wife or someone we see regularly, it's not that easy. We cannot simply forgive and then leave. We have to live with each other and the thing we forgave this person for could happen again and again, so we find ourselves having to forgive again and again. We may feel like Peter in Matthew 18: 21-22:

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked: “Lord, how many times should I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times? "

Jesus replied, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times." (NIV)

Jesus was not giving us a mathematical equation. It meant that we have to forgive indefinitely, repeatedly and as often as necessary, in the way it has forgiven us. And God's continued forgiveness and tolerance of our failures and flaws creates a tolerance in us for the imperfections of others. From the Lord's example we learn, as Ephesians 4: 2 describes, to be “completely humble and kind; have patience, take each other in love. "

Experience freedom
I remember when I accepted Jesus for the first time in my life. It was so nice to know that I had been forgiven for the weight and guilt of all my sins. I felt so incredibly free! Nothing compares to the freedom that comes from forgiveness. When we choose not to forgive, we become slaves to our bitterness and we are the most hurt by that forgiveness.

But when we forgive, Jesus frees us from all the pain, anger, resentment and bitterness that once held us prisoners. Lewis B. Smedes wrote in his book, Forgive and Forget, “When you free the wrongdoer, cut a malignant tumor from your inner life. Release a prisoner, but discover that the real prisoner was yourself. "

Experience an unspeakable joy
Jesus said on several occasions: "Everyone who loses his life for my sake will find it" (Matthew 10:39 and 16:25; Mark 8:35; Luke 9:24 and 17:33; John 12:25). One thing about Jesus that we sometimes don't realize is that he was the most joyful person who ever walked on this planet. The Hebrew writer gives us an idea of ​​this truth while referring to a prophecy about Jesus found in Psalm 45: 7:

“You loved justice and hated evil; therefore God, your God, has placed you above your companions, anointing you with the oil of joy. "
(Hebrews 1: 9, NIV)

Jesus denied himself to obey his Father's will. As we spend time with God, we are become like Jesus and, consequently, we will experience His joy.

Honor God with our money
Jesus spoke a lot about spiritual maturity in relation to money.

“Anyone who can trust very little can also trust a lot, and anyone who is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in managing worldly wealth, who will trust you with real wealth? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else's property, who will give you ownership of your property?

No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. "

The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and grinned Jesus. He said to them: “You are the ones who justify you in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly appreciated among men is detestable in the eyes of God. "
(Luke 16: 10-15, NIV)

I will never forget the moment when I heard a friend who keenly observes that financial giving is not God's way of raising funds, it is his way of raising children! As is true. God wants His children to be free from love of money, which the Bible says in 1 Timothy 6:10 is "a root of all kinds of evil."

As children of God, he also wants us to invest in the "work of the kingdom" through the regular donation of our wealth. Giving to honor the Lord will also build our faith. There are times when other needs may require financial attention, yet the Lord wants us to honor him first, and trust him for our daily needs.

I personally believe that the tithe (a tenth of our income) is the basic standard of giving. It should not be a limit to our giving, and certainly not the law. We see in Genesis 14: 18-20 that even before the law was given to Moses, Abraham gave a tenth to Melchizedek. Melchizedek was a type of Christ. The tenth represented the whole. In tithing, Abraham simply acknowledged that all he had was of God.

After God appeared to Jacob in a Bethel dream, starting from Genesis 28:20, Jacob made a vow: if God would be with him, keep him safe, give him food and clothes to wear and become his God, then to all that God has given him, Jacob would return one-tenth. It is clear in all the scriptures you grow spiritually implies giving monetarily.

Experience the fullness of God in Christ's body
The body of Christ is not a building.

It is a people. Although we commonly hear the church building referred to as "the church", we must remember that the true church is the body of Christ. The church is you and me.

Chuck Colson makes this profound statement in his book, The Body: "Our involvement in the body of Christ is indistinguishable from our relationship with him." I find it very interesting.

Ephesians 1: 22-23 is a powerful passage concerning the body of Christ. Speaking of Jesus, he says: "And God put all things under his feet and appointed him as head of everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way". The word "church" is ecclesia, which means "those called", referring to his people, not a building.

Christ is the head, and mysteriously enough, we as a people are His body here on this earth. His body is "the fullness of him that fills everything in every way". This tells me, among other things, that we will never be full, in the sense of our growth as Christians, unless we are rightly related to the body of Christ, because it is there that His fullness dwells.

We will never experience all that God wants us to know in terms of spiritual maturity and piety in Christian life if we do not become relational in the church.

Some people are unwilling to be relational in the body because they are afraid that others will find out what they really are. Surprisingly enough, when we are involved in the body of Christ, we discover that other people have weaknesses and problems just like us. Because I am a pastor, some people have the wrong idea that I somehow reached the height of spiritual maturity. They think it has no flaws or weaknesses. But anyone who stays around me for a long time will find that I have flaws just like everyone else.

Let me share five things that can happen only relational being in the body of Christ:

discipleship
In my opinion, discipleship takes place in three categories in the body of Christ. These are clearly illustrated in the life of Jesus. The first category is the large group. Jesus first disciples people by teaching them in large groups: "the multitudes". For me, this corresponds to the worship service.

We will grow in the Lord as we meet together bodily to worship and sit under the teaching of the Word of God. The large group meeting is part of our discipleship. It has a place in Christian life.

The second category is the small group. Jesus called 12 disciples and the Bible specifically says that he called them "to be with him" (Mark 3:14).

This is one of the main reasons why he called them. He spent a lot of time alone with those 12 men developing a special relationship with them. The small group is where we become relational. That's where we know more personally and build relationships.

Small groups include various church ministries as life and home fellowship groups, Bible studies on men and women, children's ministry, youth group, awareness in prison and a host of others. For many years I took part in our prison ministry once a month. Over time, those team members have been able to see my imperfections and I have seen them. We even joked with each other about our differences. But something happened. We met each other personally during that period of ministry together.

Even now, I continue to prioritize getting involved in some form of small group brotherhood on a monthly basis.

The third category of discipleship is the smaller group. Among the 12 apostles, Jesus often took Peter, James, and John with him to places where the other nine could not go. And even among those three, there was one, John, who became known as "the disciple whom Jesus loved" (John 13:23).

John had a unique and unique relationship with Jesus which was different from that of the other 11. The smaller group is where we experience discipleship three against one, two against one or one against one.

I believe that each category - the large group, the small group and the smallest group - is a vital part of our discipleship and that no part should be excluded. However, it is in small groups that we connect. In those relationships, not only will we grow, but through our lives, others will also grow. In turn, our investments in mutual lives will contribute to the growth of the body. Small groups, domestic communions and relational ministries are a necessary part of our Christian journey. As we become relational in the church of Jesus Christ, we will mature as Christians.

The grace of God
God's grace is manifested through the body of Christ as we exercise our spiritual gifts within the body of Christ. 1 Peter 4: 8-11a says:

“Above all, love one another deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to each other without grumbling. Everyone should use any gift received to serve others, faithfully administering the grace of God in its various forms. If someone speaks, he should do it as one who speaks the same words of God. If someone serves, he should do it with the strength that God provides, so that in all things God can be praised through Jesus Christ ... "(NIV)

Peter offers two great categories of gifts: talking about gifts and serving gifts. You may have a talking gift and not know it yet. That vocal gift does not necessarily have to be processed on a stage on Sunday morning. You can teach in a Sunday School class, lead a life group, or facilitate three-on-one or one-on-one discipleship. Maybe you have a gift to serve. There are many ways to serve the body that will not only bless others, but you too. So when we get involved or "connected" to the ministry, God's grace will be revealed through the gifts He has so kindly bestowed on us.

The sufferings of Christ
Paul said in Philippians 3:10: "I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the company to share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death ..." Some of Christ's sufferings are experienced only within the body of Christ . I think of Jesus and the apostles, those who chose to be with him. One of them, Judas, betrayed him. When the traitor appeared at that crucial hour in the Garden of Gethsemane, the three closest followers to Jesus had fallen asleep.

They should have prayed. They disappointed their Lord and were disappointed. When the soldiers came and arrested Jesus, each of them abandoned him.

On one occasion Paul pleaded with Timothy:

“Do your best to come to me quickly, because Demas, because he loved this world, abandoned me and went to Thessaloniki. Crescens went to Galatia and Tito to Dalmatia. Only Luke is with me. Take Marco and take him with you, because he helps me in my ministry. "
(2 Timothy 4: 9-11, NIV)

Paul knew what it meant to be abandoned by friends and fellow workers. He also experienced the suffering in the body of Christ.

It saddens me that so many Christians find it easy to leave a church because they are injured or offended. I am convinced that those who will leave because the pastor has failed them, and the congregation has failed them, or someone has offended them or wrong facts, will make them suffer. Unless you do not solve the problem, it will affect them for the rest of their Christian life and make it easier for them to leave the next church. Not only will they cease to mature, but they will not be able to approach Christ through suffering.

We must understand that part of Christ's suffering is actually lived in the body of Christ, and God uses this suffering to mature us.

"... to live a life worthy of the call you received. Be completely humble and kind; have patience, bring each other in love. Make every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. "
(Ephesians 4: 1b-3, NIV)

Maturity and stability
The maturity and stability are produced by the service in the body of Christ.

At 1 Timothy 3:13, he says: "Those who have served well gain an excellent position and great confidence in their faith in Christ Jesus." The term "excellent position" means a grade or grade. Those who serve well get solid foundations in their Christian journey. In other words, when we serve the body, we grow.

I have observed over the years that those who grow and mature the most are those who are truly connected and serve somewhere in the church.

Love
Ephesians 4:16 says: "From him the whole body, united and held together by each supporting ligament, grows and develops in love, while each part does its work."

With this concept of the interconnected body of Christ in mind, I would like to share a part of a fascinating article that I read entitled "Together forever" in Life magazine (April 1996). They were joint twins: a miraculous mating of two heads on a body with a series of arms and legs.

Abigail and Brittany Hensel are joined twins, the products of a single egg which for some unknown reason have not been able to completely divide into identical twins ... The paradoxes of twins' lives are metaphysical and medical. They raise far-reaching questions about human nature. What is individuality? How sharp are the ego boundaries? How essential is privacy for happiness? ... linked to each other, but provocatively independent, these girls are a living textbook on camaraderie and compromise, on dignity and flexibility, on the most subtle varieties of freedom ... they have volumes to teach us about love.
The article went on to describe these two girls who are one at the same time. They have been forced to live together and now nobody can separate them. They don't want an operation. They don't want to be separated. Each of them has individual personalities, tastes, likes and dislikes. But they share only one body. And they chose to stay like one.

What a beautiful image of the body of Christ. We are all different. We all have individual tastes and distinct likes and dislikes. However, God put us together. And one of the main things he wants to show in a body that has such a multiplicity of parts and personalities is that something in us is unique. We can be completely different, yet we can live as one. Our mutual love is the greatest proof of our being true disciples of Jesus Christ: "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another" (John 13:35).

Closing thoughts
Will you make it a priority to spend time with God? I believe these words I mentioned earlier repeat. I met them years ago in my devotional reading and they never left me. Although the source of the quote now eludes me, the truth of his message has deeply influenced and inspired me.

"The company of God is everyone's privilege and the incessant experience of a few."
–Unknown author
I long to be one of the few; I pray too.