Talk to God … Then Listen

Spirituality Column #38
July 31, 2007
Current! In Carmel (IN) newspaper

Talk to God … Then Listen
By Bob Walters

Do we pray properly?

We pray for physical comfort which Jesus never promised, worldly prosperity which Jesus never had, and removal of challenges that Jesus assured us would never – in this life – be absent.

“Dear Lord … give me something” is an all too common prayer outline. I do it way too often.

We all tend to the see the world through the lens of our physical needs, yet the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are far more interested in our spiritual well-being.

With the Spirit (Romans 8:26) and Jesus (Hebrews 7:25) interceding for each of us ceaselessly with the Father, why do we need to pray anyway? The Holy Trinity already knows what we need.

We pray because it is part of our personal communion with God; communion that is unique to Christianity among all recognized theology. Other religions have laws and rites. Christ insists on faith and craves communion; prayer expresses both.

Prayer as an earthly shopping list is not in divine sync with God’s promise of eternal joy. If we are going to ask for something in prayer, why not ask for grace, understanding and wisdom to help us understand what He wants?

A great way to start a prayer is with praise for God, then thanks to God, and if you can work it in, confession before God.

And then … OK … go ahead and ask God. You can ask Him for anything, talk to Him about anything, laugh with Him, cry to Him, shout at Him … all the while knowing that there is no way you can surprise Him. Pray when you are happy, sad or scared.

But when you are finished – however you pray – don’t forget the most important part: listening for God’s voice with heart, mind and soul.

The key to prayer isn’t what you say … it’s what God says.

Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) believes the quality of our prayer life can’t be measured by our words, but by how God’s words return to our heart.

Why No Sabbath in New Testament?

Spirituality Column #37
July 24, 2007
Current in Carmel (IN) newspaper

Why No Sabbath in New Testament?By Bob Walters

Nine of the 10 Commandments of the Old Testament are mentioned as items of obedience in the New Testament.

The one that’s missing is about keeping the Sabbath holy.

Ever wonder why that is?

I’ve written here before that the only two truly New Testament commandments are to “love God” and to “love others as you love yourself” (Matthew 22:37-39). “Love others” is a command – “as you love yourself” just proves how well Jesus knows us.

Still, having no other Gods, no idols and not misusing God’s name; honoring our parents; not committing murder or adultery; and not lying, stealing or coveting, are all mentioned in the New Testament as works of our faith.

But there’s nothing about observing the Sabbath.

The word “Sabbath” appears 57 times in my NIV New Testament, but always to identify a day or time, or in an argument Jesus is having with the Jewish leaders.

Jesus – a Jew – is frequently rebuked by the Pharisees for his activities on the Sabbath: healing the sick, blind and crippled, casting out demons, allowing his disciples to pick up grain, etc. In Matthew 12:11-12 Jesus points out that as we would rescue our sheep on the Sabbath, so is it right to do good for others on the Sabbath.

Sunday isn’t the Sabbath anyway. Saturday is the Sabbath, commemorating the Seventh Day of creation when God rested and commanded Israel to similarly rest. Sunday, the first day of the week, is the Lord’s Day commemorating Jesus’ resurrection. That’s why Jews observe Shabbat on Saturday, and Christians (mostly) go to church on Sunday.

So why no “Sabbath” observance for Christians? Because while Jewish law commands worship days, feasts and festivals to honor God at specific times, Christ promised He would be with us and in us always, just as we are to worship him always.

Christians have no need for a Sabbath, because Christ is always with us.

Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) believes God doesn’t care when you go to church (or Temple, for that matter), but that He’d sure love to see you there.

Satan v. God: A Fair Fight?

Spirituality Column #36
July 17, 2007
Current! In Carmel (IN) newspaper

Satan v. God; A Fair Fight?
By Bob Walters

I believe Satan is real and that he fights for our hearts, minds and souls right along with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Is it a fair fight? It sure seems Satan expends less effort getting our attention than God.

Our desires of earthly life … wanting what’s pleasing, comfortable, safe … are exactly what Satan wants us to have … in exchange for eternal condemnation of our souls.

It sounds bad, I know, but is “eternal condemnation” real? Should we worry about it?” Christ’s promise of “eternal salvation” sounds better but we can’t see either one and “eternal” is such a long time someone will change their minds so why not just let it all hang out while we can, look out for Number One, be real and let me “get mine” while I’m here to get it?

Helpful hint: “Number One” isn’t me. It’s God … and He’s paying attention.

The Bible gives us God’s complete outline for building our relationship with Him, other people, and all creation. God, not Satan, gives us beauty and wonder and nature and love and (don’t miss this one) forgiveness. It takes faith and discipline to nurture our relationship with God through Christ, who promises to be our champion for all time.

“Letting it all hang out” on earth isn’t what God has in mind for us; worshipping Him is how he wants us to “get real.”

One critical thing to remember: God is a red-hot, jealous God. The Jews, His beloved and chosen people, found out time and again that God’s wrath is immense and perfect.

As a Christian, never forgetting Jesus was a Jew, I know that God’s wrath is coming again one of these days and reading those Old Testament prophecies makes me want to straighten up my act.

Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) knows eternity is a long time, and salvation is better than condemnation. I’m rooting for God.

Patience and Tribulation

Spirituality Column #35
July 10, 2007
Current in Carmel (IN) Newspaper

Patience and Tribulation
By Bob Walters

I was a young sportswriter covering a Notre Dame home football game in South Bend (v. Purdue, 1976) and at dinner the night before I sat next to legendary Irish athletic director Edward W. “Moose” Krause.

Highly-rated Notre Dame (11th pre-season) lost its season opener at home to Pitt the previous week and was knocked out of the AP Top 20 rankings.  Dan Divine coached the team to a 9-3 record that season (1976) and the national championship in 1977, but I have never forgotten a funny comment Krause made at dinner that night.

He mentioned that just prior to dinner he had been with the football team in chapel and I asked him what he prayed for. Krause, considering the team’s record, said deliberately, “I pray for patience.”

Great line.

Several years later I was chatting with my friend Jonathan Byrd who owned race cars in the Indianapolis 500. After his team had struggled early in May I mentioned Krause’s comment about praying for patience.

Jonathan, an incredibly bright man of Baptist persuasion and exceptionally well-versed in the Bible, chuckled but made the point, “You have to be careful when you pray for patience.” “Why’s that?” I asked. “Because,” Jonathan said, “God teaches patience through tribulation.”

Yikes.

I was a Christian without the walk in those days, but I understood what Jonathan meant. You’d have to be mighty brave to pray for patience, because you can’t control how God may deem best to provide it to you.

Romans 5:3 in the King James version says “… tribulation worketh patience.” In my NIV Bible this is the lyrical chain where Paul says “suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.”

Nothing is as important in our walk with Christ as our faithful perseverance, and there’s no better word for that than patience … and no greater fruit of patience than hope, which as the verse continues, “does not disappoint.”

You just have to be brave enough, trust God enough, and have the character to pray for patience.

Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) spends more time praying for patience than actually being patient.

Money Matters to God

Spirituality Column #34
July 3, 2007
Current! In Carmel (IN) newspaper

Money Matters to God
By Bob Walters

God has a lot to say about how we handle money - 2,350 verses in the Bible address the subject.
Most of what the Bible says about money isn’t about giving, it’s about wisdom and stewardship; about handling money in a Godly way.

What God wants us to understand is:
1. It’s not how much money we have, it’s what we do with the money we do have.
2. It’s not “our” money any way. It’s God’s money.

The Bible points out that God made and owns everything in the earth (Psalm 24:1, Leviticus 25:23). The Old Testament outlines specific laws about tithing (giving one-tenth of money and assets to God), laws that do not appear in the New Testament.

The New Testament instead instructs us to give everything we have to the Lord. Luke 14:33 goes so far as to exhort us to give up all possessions to be a disciple of Christ. At the very least that means give all our possessions to God’s priorities.

Still, we’ve all sat in church and heard a sermon on tithing. A lot of us squirm on those days. Yet the most inspiring messages I’ve heard about church giving haven’t been from the pulpit, they’ve been from people who have literally given all they could of their worldly wealth, talent, time and love to the service of others in the name of Christ.

You can’t go wrong tithing and giving money to the poor – it’s a great start – and you also can’t go wrong studying the Bible for its wealth of all-encompassing money and stewardship principles.

Especially if your financial outlook is dark, Bible knowledge on money helps bring light.

There are many Biblical financial management studies available (Crown Financial Ministries, www.crown.org is one) available in many churches throughout the country. Ask your minister or pastor about what’s offered at your church.

Worship God not money; but money’s important, and so is what God has to say about it.

Walters (rlwcom@aol.com), figures we can never give back to Christ all that we owe Him for our salvation; but we should at least be diligent and smart in trying.