Nick’s Walk

Brother Lawrence talks of a continuous sense of God’s presence. Such a sense involves a constant communication or conversation with God. What would that sound like? Any worthwhile conversation involves two entities with a clear understanding of each other. There is no doubt that God knows all about us. The only problem is our knowledge of the Father, as well as our knowledge of ourselves. If we focus on who God is, our conversation with Him will consist of  praising, adoring, and loving Him incessantly for His infinite goodness and perfection. Such communication is the natural outflow of a recognition of who He is. We typically focus too much on what God has done for us. He has certainly done much; but that doesn’t get us to the place we want to be. That path starts with focus on who He is rather than what He has done. This focus creates in us a healthy “Fear of the Lord,” a sense of His wonder and awe. We have to be careful as we begin to appreciate who He is because we are  nothing in comparison. We can become discouraged because of our sins. It is important that we include […]

In the game of chess, there comes a point when one player realizes that further maneuvers are useless and the game is loss. At this point, if he has any class, the eventual loser “resigns.” It’s an interesting term. It means to give up one’s position or to accept the outcome as inevitable.  Brother Lawrence said that perfect resignation to God was a sure way to heaven. Are we perfectly resigned to God. Most of the time I would say, “no.” We are unwilling to acknowledge His inevitable complete triumph. We withhold parts of us. There are areas of our lives which we keep to ourselves in the foolish belief that such reservation is possible. We want to maintain some vestige of control over something. When we live, as did Brother Lawrence, in constant acknowledgement of the presence of God, the light of God’s presence makes such reservations impossible. If we are always aware of His presence, we are aware that He knows all, including all parts of our lives. That naturally leads to an increasing and, eventually, a perfect resignation to God.  When we are perfect resigned to God, we are in a perfect light which guides our […]

When dealing with worry I have often suggested that the worrier consider the “worst case scenario.” For almost all worries, the worst that could happen is that we could die and, for the Christian, that is not loss but gain. It is interesting to consider that Brother Lawrence said that the worst that could happen to him was to lose that sense of God which he had enjoyed so long.  How wonderful to believe that the sense of God’s presence is the most important thing in your life. Such is surely worth pursuing. One of the great things about that sense of the presence is that it comes with a guarantee. The goodness of God assured Brother Lawrence He would not forsake him utterly and that God would give him strength to bear whatever evil He permitted to happen to him. Brother Lawrence, therefore, said he feared nothing.  If we get so accustomed to the presence of God, we come to know His loving nature and become aware of the intensity of His love.   Are you wasting time in worry? Consider what is really the worst thing that could happen to you? I am becoming convinced that the worst […]

VBS is next week. Many kids have signed up and we are still short of volunteers. I will not try to guilt you into signing up as a volunteer. I know that each of you greatly loves the Lord and that working on VBS is a great way to show it. If you are planning to serve out of guilt or a sense of duty. Maybe you should think again. Service for the Love of God is what it’s all about. It is the means by which you will bring the most blessing. Brother Lawrence was completely focused on the importance of doing all for the love of God. Focusing not on the things done, but on the love of God. He pointed out that our sanctification did not depend upon changing our works. Instead, it depended on doing those things for God’s sake which we commonly do for our own.  It is our common error to focus on the works rather than the one for whom the works are done. We become so focused on the works seeking to improve their performance. This is mistaking the means for the end, addicting themselves to certain works which are performed […]

 1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.Colossians 3:1 You ever notice how comfortable Sponge Bob and friends are at the bottom of the ocean. We forget they are fathoms deep in water. We would feel out of place in Sponge Bob’s world. We should feel a bit out of place in this world. We are twice-born people in a once-born world. We should have a different perspective, different values, a different destination, a different permanent home. It’s like when Sponge Bob’s little friend from Texas appears as a deep sea diver,  underwater and outside her natural environment. She moves around with a glass bubble around her head to allow her to breathe.  That’s the way we need to live. If we are to survive, we must stay linked to Jesus who is our life. The Bible says we’re not to set our affections on things beneath, but on things above […]

I suppose the day after Independence Day is as good a day as any to suggest a Declaration of Dependence. In many ways, the Declaration we celebrate on the 4th is as much a Declaration of Dependence as of Independence. Surely we declare our Independence from England; by declaring our dependence on God. It seems to me that Independence is not only over rated; but completely unattainable.  Just as we proclaim our “independence” we demonstrate our dependence on so many things. One  or two hundred years ago, independence was at least partially achievable. Many Americans lived on farms where they grew their own food, built their homes from available materials and protected their property with their own weapons. That’s not life today. We are dependent on policemen, firemen, postmen, grocers and so many others.  The only real independence we can celebrate is deciding for ourselves upon whom we will be dependent. This is really the finding freedom in slavery scenario. Consider the issue of personal worth. Where do we find our worth? Is it in the opinion of others? Is it based on our “achievements” or our level of financial success? The problem here is that there is always […]

Who am I? Casting Crowns. On the way home from church today, Rosemary and I were listening to Ravi Zacharias. He was telling the story of a young man who asked the question, “How do I know that I exist?” In response, the young man was asked, “Whom should I say is asking?”  Often we get way too tied in in philosophical questions and lose touch with basic truths.  One of the secrets to Brother Lawrence’s happy life was his keen sense of who God is and who we are in Him. If you think about it nothing is more important that these two questions: Who is God? and Who am I? God is awesome. He is all knowing, powerful, present, holy, and loving.  Without Him we are nothing; but with Him we gain incredible value. We are valuable because of His love for us. Keeping these simple facts in mind, assure us of everlasting joy. When these thoughts slip away from us, we slip into sorrow and despair. If we can focus on the greatness of God without losing track of the fact that He seeks communion with us, we will be perpetually joyful. Nothing will steal our […]

“Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.” Romans 13:1 In the early 70s I went to Vietnam. I missed my ship in San Francisco and took a helicopter transport across the Pacific. The first night on that ship I went out to the bow to catch some fresh air. But the air wasn’t fresh; in fact, it was filled with the aroma of marijuana. Numerous sailors were smoking dope just under the bridge of the ship. There was no sense of subjection to authority. I knew then we were in trouble in Vietnam and “in trouble” in a larger sense in our country. Our generation doesn’t like the word authority. We don’t like to be under anybody. We stick out our chests and talk about being free-born Americans. If you’re a baby boomer, you’re of a generation of anti-authority figures. In your lifetime you’ve gone through the hula hoop, the Barbie doll, pop psychology, Dr. Spock, Donahue, and the Beatles. It was all anti-authority! Fathers were Archie Bunker. Preachers were Flip Wilson. The anthem was, “Do your thing. If it feels […]