27. The Search for Love

Tuesday 19th March 

(for more details see here)

Pause:

"Show me Your ways, Lord,
teach me Your paths.
Guide me in Your truth and teach me,
for You are God my Savior,
and my hope is in You all day long.
Remember, Lord, Your great mercy and love,
for they are from of old.
Do not remember the sins of my youth
and my rebellious ways;
according to Your love remember me,
for You, Lord, are good."

PSALM 25.4-7

Today's reading: John 18. 28-37

"CHAPTER 8 : THE SOUL NEEDS A CENTER

On an overcast day in Florida in the late winter of 2013, a man whose family had lived in the same home for generations suddenly lost his life when a sinkhole opened up beneath the home's foundation, causing the floor to collapse and simply swallow up the house. Experts say that in parts of Florida, the limestone that lies beneath the earth's surface is slowly being dissolved by acidic rain-water. When enough rock is eaten away, the void simply collapses under the weight of what an inadequate foundation can no longer support.
Gordon MacDonald once wrote about how what he called the "sinkhole syndrome" happens in a human life. It may be triggered by a failure at work, a severed relationship, harsh criticism from a parent, or for no apparent reason at all. But it feels like the earth has given way.

It turns out, MacDonald wrote, that in a sense we have two worlds to manage: an outer world of career and possessions and social networks; and an inner world that is more spiritual in nature, where values are selected and character is formed — a place where worship and confession and humility can be practiced.

Because our outer worlds are visible and measurable and expandable, they are easier to deal with. They demand our attention. "The result is that our private world is often cheated, neglected because it does not shout quite so loudly. It can be effectively ignored for large periods of time before it gives way to a sinkhole-like cave-in." He quotes the haunting words of Oscar Wilde: "I was no longer captain of my own soul." The sinkhole, says MacDonald, is the picture of spiritual vulnerability in our day.

WHEN THE SOUL LACKS A CENTER
As I mentioned earlier, the New Testament book of James uses a fascinating word to describe this condition. It's often translated "double-minded,” but the Greek word is dipsuchos - we might think of it as double-souled, or split-souled, or the un-centered soul. Here are a few of the indicators when a soul lacks a center.

A soul without a center has difficulty making a decision.
One of the pictures James uses of this condition is that the double-souled person is like a wave on the sea, driven forward one moment and backward the next. People whose souls are rooted in a center find it brings clarity to their decisions. Steve Jobs, who was surely single-minded in his purpose, was said to always wear the same outfit every day (blue jeans, black turtleneck) because that way he did not have to waste energy making an unimportant decision. John the Baptist had a different wardrobe but the same one-option approach to fashion.

A classic counter to this in Scripture is the character of Pontius Pilate. He struggles with the decision of what to do with Jesus. He tries to talk Jesus into saying what will allow Pilate to free him. He pesters the religious leaders without making the decision that his authority would have allowed. He asks the crowd to let him off the hook, but they opt for Barabbas. When the soul is not centered, one is never sure what temptations are worth resisting or what sacrifices are worth making."
 

JOHN ORTBERG (Soul Keeping)

Reflection: 

Help me Lord, to center my soul in You alone.
To be centered in Your desire
not the demands and deadlines of the day

To be centered in Your truth
not the tricks and traps of the words of others

To be centered in Your purpose
not politics or pestering

To be centered in Your love
not the leanings and lustings of the crowd

Help me Lord, to center my soul in You alone.


Questions for today:

• Where do I find love most often - in people pleasing or Christ-serving?
• What is my soul centered on?

Prayer:

Jesus, be the centre
Be my source, be my light
Jesus

Jesus, be the centre
Be my hope, be my song
Jesus

Be the fire in my heart
Be the wind in these sails
Be the reason that I live
Jesus, Jesus

Jesus, be my vision
Be my path, be my guide
Jesus

MICHAEL FRYE

 I prayed this.

My prayer for today: (if you would like to, please feel free to add your own prayer here):