Are You Narrow-Minded? by Patrick Fuller

“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. “For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it. Matt. 7:13-14

            Are you narrow-minded?  The title is actually more of a comical way to say “Have you set off on the narrow way of following Jesus?”  The truth is I am not talking solely about being called closed minded.  I am talking about the status of your relationship with Jesus Christ.  Perhaps you’ve been going to church all of your life, perhaps you are neither here nor there, or perhaps you are totally against the idea of having a life changing relationship with Jesus.  Jesus is making a divide here and now though.  He wants us to see that the Christian life is a different life from non-Christians.  He is saying that those who want to follow him are going to have to be dedicated and wholly divided unto him and his teaching.  The broad way has many followers, many options, many gods, and many ways of living that ALL lead to self-destruction.  Jesus commands us to live one way and that way is only found in his true teaching of the Bible.  He is patient and awaits your choice.

Holy Spirit, please guide us down the narrow path of Jesus and invite others to join us on the way.

What’s On Your Mind? by Patrick Fuller

“For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace” Romans 8:6

            Brother Lawrence, famous for his 17th century writings and simple faith once wrote about his relationship with God saying, “I worshiped him as often as I could, keeping my mind in his holy presence and recalling it back to God as often as I found it had wandered from him.”  This was the daily habit of his thought life in which he was able to encounter God in an intimate way even amongst mundane tasks.  His ability to recover wandering thoughts whenever possible and keep his mental focus on God and his good attributes helped him experience the spiritual exercise now known as practicing “the presence of God”.  This brought him great joy and peace over time even though he was a simple man in humble circumstances for most of his life.  How much more so will it help us in our fast paced lives to slow down and remove our thoughts from Facebook statuses, Twitter feeds, and our ever present worries?  Remember that Paul wrote that if we live by the flesh in our mindset we will experience death, but if we are set on the Spirit of God we will experience life and peace.  Just think about that for a while.  It will undoubtedly change your mind.

Lord God, let us always be aware of You and walk in step with your Spirit alone.  Amen.

Brother Lawrence.  The Practice of the Presence of God.  Translated by John J. Delaney.  New York: Doubleday, 1977.

No Man is an Island by Patrick Fuller

And the Reubenites and the Gadites gave the altar this name: A Witness Between Us—that the Lord is God. -Joshua 22:34

Every person is built for community.  This reality is even deeper in Christianity.  Dietrich Bonhoeffer once wrote that the goal of all Christian community is that “they meet one another as bringers of the message of salvation.”  A situation for bringing that message can be seen in Joshua chapter 22.  The Eastern tribes of Israel built an altar to the Lord God as a memorial, but the Western tribes suspecting idolatry went up to war against them.  They accused the Eastern tribes of rebellion in a “how could you” sort of way, but were met with a good reason for building the altar.  In the end they agreed that all was well, and no one was punished.  But we can see that in our day of age this kind of rebuke is often not taken as seriously as the Israelites did.  If your brother in Christ was slipping into some sort of sin would you be willing to “make war” against him?  Would you be willing though to call them out gently and with all respectfulness?  For that is what we are called to do in Christian community.  We are to help each other follow and remind each other of Christ and his glorious salvation.

Father you are majestic in holiness.  Thank you for teaching us to live together in peace through your son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Love is Obedience/Obedience is Love by Patrick Fuller

And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands.  As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love. 2 John 1:6  

I once was asked to preach a sermon at a wedding in the remote mountains of Peru.  It was a great honor to be asked to do that for the 3 couples who had been married earlier that evening.  It was also a great challenge since I was asked to preach in my second language of Spanish.  I preached on love because the topic of love seemed fitting for the ministry that needed to be done in the area.  As the church listened on I explained that love can be shown through obedience to Christ's commands.  These two things go together so well if you follow Christ's teachings.  Love and obedience are intertwined.  This is not out of obligation but rather out of a passionate desire to respond to and follow Christ.  I encouraged the young couples to love each other, to love their neighbors, and to love God by following his teachings.  Although the message was for them specifically, it is also for you today.  Listen to what Jesus has to say, and follow it out of love instead of cold-hearted obligation.

Lord Jesus, allow us to follow you and in thus show our love for you.  Help us to love others and in that show our love for you as well.  Amen.

Fear The One Who Cares by Patrick Fuller

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7

Fear is a raw emotion and something that all humans experience from their very first breath on into old age.  The existence of fear is not something we take into question often, but what to do with fear is a more common question that the Christian should be prepared to answer rightly.  In the letter of 1st Peter we find the early Christians facing severe persecution and even death for their faithful allegiance to Christ.  These serious situations and fearful events still carry on to this day in other countries around the world to Christians just like you and me.  In America we do not usually face death or physical pain for our faith, but we do face hard times or trials in our daily lives.  Whatever the case may be we know that Scripture can apply to many situations and guide how we respond to life’s circumstances in troubled or anxious times.  In the Bible we can see that God wants you to cast your fears, your anxieties, your troubles and worries on Him through a trusting relationship in Jesus Christ instead of dwelling on them forever.  God is a fortress for those who believe in Him; a safe place to turn when life gets tough.

May we stay close to Him and pray openly to Him in those most important times of need.

The Best Man is a Man at Best by Patrick Fuller

“But He gives a greater grace.  Therefore it says, ‘God is opposed to the proud, but give grace to the humble.’” James 4:6

The perspective of a groomsman gives him a front row seat to the promises that a married couple makes on their wedding day.  I have seen people in the closest of relationships falter and divorce tragically after many years.  I have also seen people live long, fruitful, committed, and loving lives together.  So what makes all the difference in those two types of marriages?  Foundations.  The marriages that truly hold together and bear the most benefit to others around them are those that operate together based on a foundation of humility.  The truth is that only in Jesus Christ can real and viable humility be found.  Remember that Christ set the example of humility by considering himself the same as a regular man even though he was still fully the Almighty God.  If a husband can consider his wife to be of greater importance than his own self how much more will she love him in return for his servanthood?  And vice-versa?  How much more grace will God give us in our relationships if we are humbled enough to follow His example in serving our loved ones or even our own enemies daily out of love and not obligation?

Lord Jesus, please allow us to be obedient disciples to your standards for marriage and humble people in our relationships of all types every day.  Amen.

The Dark Night by Patrick Fuller

For those whom the Lord loves he disciplines, and he scourges every son whom he receives. (NASB) Hebrews 12:6 

For those who have a relationship with Christ there are various stages of growth and experiences to have with Him throughout our journey here on earth.  We often like to speak of the joyous times, the devoted times, and the blessed times. On the other hand though it is necessary to remember that in any relationship there are ups and downs because we are human. We have a sinful nature that prevents us from keeping that stage of perfection indefinitely here on earth.  We go through trials, we go through seasons of doubting, we go through what most would call spiritual valleys in our faith walk, and most of all we go through tests amongst these things.  Discipline from the Lord is advanced through testing, is advanced through growth in our knowledge of who God is.  Sometimes you may find yourself in what St. John of the Cross called “the dark night of the soul” which is when the Lord removes your spiritual pleasures and devotional rewards in order to test your endurance, your perseverance and your commitment to Him.  I would encourage you to embrace these times of emptiness, weakness and discipline for they are from the merciful Lord who loves you and will not let you suffer for long. 

Merciful God, please let us stay joyful even in the darkest nights of our spiritual life, Amen.