Pastor Jay //

I was talking with one of our youth this week that has been struggling over the last year spiritually. (He speaks of this publicly and blogs about it.) One of the things that caught my attention was his perception of the peaks and valleys of spiritual life. It reminded me how high and low those peaks were for me when I was his age. Summer camp was high and feeling alone as a Christian in high school was low. Oz had something to say about this today in the Utmost devotional - posthumously, of course.

One of the worst traps a Christian worker can fall into is to become obsessed with his own exceptional moments of inspiration. When the Spirit of God gives you a time of inspiration and insight, you tend to say, “Now that I’ve experienced this moment, I will always be like this for God.” No, you will not, and God will make sure of that.

He says that if we try to hang on to and continue to live for those moments, we become a burden to God rather than helpful. This is because those special moments are gifts - gifts that we cannot choose to have at the moment of our choosing. They are encouraging and inspiring, but not for daily consumption. Moses didn’t stay on Sinai. Jesus didn’t pitch tents on the Mt of Transfiguration. John did not remain in the vision of Revelation on the Isle of Patmos. We are to be incarnational. We are to take that relationship into the world.

Father, help me to be willing to do the hard work of Christianity - even when it’s not exciting or easy.

April 2008 007 Originally uploaded by pastorjay_photoalbum

I had an opportunity recently to see the progress on the Catholic Church after our ministerial alliance meeting. It looks like it will be very beautiful.

Wisdom for Fools - Proverbs 3:11-12

11 My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD,
Nor detest His correction;
12 For whom the LORD loves He corrects,
Just as a father the son in whom he delights.

1.  What (if any) is the difference between punishment and discipline?

2. As a child, was there a time where you were punished that you learned a positive lesson? Explain.

3. How is punishment a protection? When does punishment go to far?