Sit. Walk. Stand. Start from Rest to Finish Best.

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Sit. Walk. Stand. Start from Rest to Finish Best.

As I went about my routine this morning, I was reminded of the parallel my physical life has with my spiritual life.


I woke up, brewed some coffee, sat on my porch, spent time in God‘s Word, and went for a walk.


As a believer in Christ, I am also called to wake up and be alert, and that happens best when I drink in the Word.


The daily walk is important, yes, but not before we understand true rest...


You see, I’m reading (another) little book this summer (you may recall me reading and posting daily about “A Gospel Primer for Christians” by Milton Vincent throughout the month of June). This little gem of a resource is “Sit. Walk. Stand. The Process of Christian Maturity“ by Watchman Nee. It’s a study guide of sorts through the book of Ephesians (one of my favorite books of the Bible). Like the Gospel Primer, this book is rather tiny, but let me tell you, it sure is mighty!


If you know me at all, you know I love words! Watchman Nee hones in on three important verbs for the Christian life — Sit. Walk. Stand.


If you’ve read my Bible study, CALLED, you’ll recall the middle six chapters are verbs I refer to as “stepping stones“ into all the places God is calling us to go. God‘s Word is a powerful weapon for the Christian warrior, and practical application is key if we are to honor God by doing what it says.


So, this morning, as I focused more on sitting, it reminded me of chapter 4 of CALLED. Called to Be. Being breeds a better doing. We must BE first so we can DO best, or as Watchman Nee puts it, We must SIT before we WALK or STAND.

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o.BE.DIE.nce

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o.BE.DIE.nce

Obedience seems to be the theme on the blog this week, and I’ve learned from experience, when a word resonates, there’s a reason, especially when words within the word resonate, too. So, without further ado, let me break it down for you. That’s what the Lord did for me, and in order to live it out, it’s so important to understand what it’s all about!


o.BE.DIE.nce.

That word smack dab in the middle of the word — DIE. Die to self so I can live for Him. And then the word that comes just before it — BE. Be with God first, so I can serve Him best.

I’m a doer by nature. The word “obedience” has always appealed to my “doer heart.” God says, “Do this,” I obey. Plain and simple. But, well, it’s not that plain and simple. If I make obedience about a formulaic task, before long, I forget the heart of obedience, and make it more about my work and less about His will. I replace obedience with busyness.

And then before I know it, busyness has stolen the spotlight from obedience. Yep, we all battle busyness (to some degree). It invades every life stage and is no respecter of age. It even creeps in to the slower pace forced by a global pandemic. Busyness isn’t limited to our schedules outside the home, it can creep in to our to do’s lists at home, too!

Busyness manifests itself in the way we relate, respond, and react to others. It affects the way we cope and robs us of our hope. It even masks itself as honorable responsibility, and we wear it like some Medal of Honor around our neck hoping others see significance, when in reality, we are choking trying to make a difference.

We can organize it, categorize it, colorcode it, and try to unload it, but it attacks, fights back, and cuts us no slack. Why does it keep winning? We get a handle on it, scale back a bit, and then boom, it hits us again, this time harder and stronger. How do we battle back?

As I wrestle with it myself, I can’t offer you a tried and true 5-step plan to get rid of it or a foolproof “how to” program to manage it, but I can offer these 4 “r” words as a little piece of advice that always invite peace into my busy life. All four of them reminders of true o.BE.DIE.nce...

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Only Then & All for Him!

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Only Then & All for Him!

ONLY THEN...

“Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. ONLY THEN will you prosper and succeed in all you do.” ~ Joshua‬ ‭1:8‬

We can’t obey everything in it if we aren’t in it everyday — Continually and consistently in the Word, not casually and conveniently to receive a word. God wants to speak to us every single day in an ongoing and active way — not just to tickle our ears but to transform our lives.

Two little words in this verse positioned perfectly to perfectly position us in complete submission and total surrender. ONLY THEN.

What comes before those two little words? study, meditate, continually, night and day, obey. That’s what we are called to do — not out of duty or obligation, but out of love for the very One who gave His life for you and me.

“ONLY THEN will you prosper and succeed in all you do.” Success without surrender is superficial, and prosperity without proper priorities will end in spiritual poverty.

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