Urban Reformation

We are  reading through this book as a Shepherding Group getting toward the end. Note that if you click on the picture to the left it will take you to a free audio download of the book for the month of March!!!

I have been encouraged this week specifically because this is hard work.  It’s hard word to fight the flesh and this chapter has helped re-invigorate me to be more diligent, steadfast, and disciplined.  I pray for God’s hand in it to keep my heart.

This past week we could say that it was time to really get into our business.  Whitney focused on our Time & Money.  How much do we give of our time and of our money.   He made some bold claims about our time & money and urged us to consider how short our lives are compared to eternity.  He spoke about the world the flesh and the devil.  He made the point that our bent from the fallen flesh is to drift away.  He said that unless we practice self-control we will serve evil more than God.  I imagined a pie chart and if we graphed out our check book how many items were spent on self and how much of our dollar was spent toward the things of God. He helped us once again with the reminder that all of our Money is simply God’s money, and we as stewards or (managers) of His money decide how much we keep. The same thing goes for time how much of our time is spent on self or self indulgence, verses the things of God and others? How much time is wasted, again I imagined a pie chart of my day, and how much time there would be for self and how much time I would be giving to others. Oh that we would be honest with ourselves and strive toward the goal.

There were many more things that could be said but it’s fascinating to me that nearly all of the books that I’m reading right now have met me at the same place.  This is the part of sanctification that hurts, and I understand why our flesh would rather seek out ease, and suppress those things which we know deep down to be true, especially in regards to time & money.

It’s becoming more and more evident to me that a disciplined life in all areas of life, is life toward Godliness, and leisure for leisure sake is indeed more dangerous that we often give credit it.  We have overlooked so frequently the consequences of slothful, lazy living, not realizing that it could be vessel of destruction for our souls.

I find it always so funny that I have the feeling to qualify my answers by saying that I don’t mean that we can not have leisure times but we mustn’t live for leisure, our hearts must hold loosely to, these things of leisure or comfort because they are temporary, and are thieves often of what’s eternal.

I wouldn’t say that I agree with this cartoon completely, but I would say it’s not about saying no to culture and establishing your own values but it’s saying no to culture and the flesh, and establishing “what God values.”  We must not with our time or with our money live for what brings pleasure to self alone, but the call of the Christian life is to spend our time and our money on others.  The chief indulgence of our time is media and I am also going through a sovereign grace book on this called Worldliness as you can tell from several of my recent post.  This battle between the flesh and the devil is something we must wake up to and take up arms.

I am also reading through “Practical Christianity” by AW Pink in Chapter 4 titled Heart Work Pink explains:

God has not called His people to be drones, nor to maintain an attitude of passiveness. No, He bids them work, toil, labour. The sad thing is that so many of them are engaged in the wrong task, or, at least, giving most of their attention to that which is incidental, and neglecting that which is essential and fundamental. “Keep thy heart with all diligence” (Prov. 4:23): this is the great task which God has assigned unto each of His children. But oh, how sadly is the heart neglected! Of all their concerns and possessions, the least diligence is used by the vast majority of professing Christians in the keeping of their hearts. As long as they safeguard their other interests—their reputations, their bodies, their positions in the world—the heart may be left to take its own course. As the heart in our physical body is the center and fountain of life, because from it blood circulates into every part, conveying with it either health or disease, so it is with us spiritually. If our heart be the residence of impiety, pride, avarice, malice, impure lusts, then the whole current of our lives will largely be tainted with these vices. If they are admitted there and prevail for a season, then our character and conduct will be proportionately affected. Therefore the citadel of the heart needs above all things to be well guarded, that it may not be seized by those numerous and watchful assailants which are ever attacking it. This spring needs to be well protected that its waters be not poisoned. The man is what his heart is. If this be dead to God, then nothing in him is alive. If this be right with God, all will be right. As the mainspring of a watch sets all its wheels and parts in motion, so as a man “thinketh in his heart, so is he” (Prov. 23:7). If the heart be right, the actions will be. As a man’s heart is, such is his state now and will be hereafter: if it be regenerated and sanctified there will be a life of faith and holiness in this world, and everlasting life will be enjoyed in the world to come. Therefore, “Rather look to the cleansing of thine heart, than to the cleansing of thy well; rather look to the feeding of thine heart, than to the feeding of thy Hock; rather look to the defending of thine heart, than to the defending of thine house; rather look to the keeping of thine heart, than to the keeping of thy money” (Peter Moffat, 1570). “Keep thy heart with all diligence, for Out of it arc the issues of life” (Prov. 4:23). The “heart” is here put for our whole inner being, the “hidden man of the heart” (1 Pet. 3:4).

And he goes on to say,

………………Before regeneration our hearts were deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked (Jer.17:9): that was because the evil principle, the “flesh,” had complete dominion over them. But inasmuch as “the flesh” remains in us after conversion, and is constantly striving for the mastery over “the spirit,” the Christian needs to exercise a constant watchful jealousy over his heart, mindful of its readiness to be imposed upon, and its proneness unto a compliance with temptations. All the avenues to the heart need to be carefully guarded so that nothing hurtful enters therein, particularly against vain thoughts and imaginations, and especially in those seasons when they are apt to gain an advantage. For if injurious thoughts are suffered to gain an inroad into the mind, if we accustom ourselves to give them entertainment, then in vain shall we hope to be “spiritually minded” (Rom. 8:6). All such thoughts are only making provision to fulfill the lusts of the flesh. Thus, for the Christian to “keep” his heart with all diligence means for him to pay close attention to the direction in which his affections are moving, to discover whether the things of the world are gaining a firmer and fuller hold over him or whether they are increasingly losing their charm for him. God has exhorted us, “Set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth” (Col. 3:2),

This is an age old battle, since the fall and we have been lulled to sleep as if the battle was not being waged for our souls. We must know that it is out there and prepare for the battle at hand. There was a wise man who told me at one point in my life that we must prepare. I shrugged him off and said something to the affect that “God’s in control, and what can we really prepare ?” I was wrong, it looks like we MUST daily prepare for the battle, it looks like we must be diligent in the battle discerning, and walking by the Spirit so that we do not fulfill the lust of the flesh. – Galatians 5:16

John Stott says it like this;

“[The flesh is that] lower nature that is in each of us and remains in us even after conversion and baptism. It is one of the fields of our human estate in which we may sow. “To ‘sow to the flesh’ is to pander to it, to cosset, cuddle and stroke it, instead of crucifying it. The seeds we sow are largely thoughts and deeds. Every time we allow our minds to harbor a grudge, nurse a grievance, entertain an impure fantasy, or wallow in self-pity, we are sowing to the flesh. Every time we linger in bad company whose insidious influence we know we cannot resist, every time we lie in bed when we ought to be up and praying, every time we read pornographic literature, every time we take a risk which strains our self-control, we are sowing, sowing, sowing to the flesh. Some Christians sow to the flesh every day and wonder why they do not reap holiness. Holiness is a harvest; whether we reap it or not depends almost entirely on what and where we sow.” —John Stott, The Message of Galatians

We complain of a shallow Christianity, we complain about American Christianity, but where are we sowing, and what are we sowing, not other churches or other Christians but us?  How can our lives look so similar to the world if we are to be in this world but not of it. If we are supposed to be culture changers, instead of culture receivers?  Are WE sowing to the or the flesh or the Spirit?

With our time?

With our Money?

May God grant us the ability to overcome the flesh by the Spirit, and may we not do it alone, but together as a body of Christ growing together, stirring one another up to Holiness with our hearts minds and souls sold out for Christ!

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