THE IMPORTANCE OF THE DEVOTIONAL MOOD
Maintenance of the devotional mood is indispensable to success in the Christian life … Among the enemies to devotion none is so harmful as distractions. Whatever excites the curiosity, scatters the thoughts, disquiets the heart, absorbs the interests or shifts our life focus from the kingdom of God within us to the world around us – that is a distraction; and the world is full of them. Our science-based civilization has given us many benefits but it has multiplied our distractions and so taken away far more than it has given. One thing is certain, however: we cannot turn the clock back to quieter rimes; neither can we hide from the persistent clamor of the 20rh century. We must learn to live in such a world as this and be victorious over it. In the normal course of things a certain number of distractions are bound to come to each one of us; but if we learn to be inwardly still these can be rendered relatively harmless. It would not be hard to compile a long list of names ofChristians who carried upon their shoulders the burden of state or the responsibilities of business and yet managed to live in great inward peace with the face of the Lord in full view. They have left us a precious legacy in the form of letters, journals, hymns and devotional books that witness to the ability of Christ to calm the troubled waters of the soul as He once calmed the waves on the Sea of Galilee. And today as always those who listen can hear His still, small voice above the earthquake and the whirlwind … The remedy for distractions is the same now as it was in earlier and simpler times, viz., prayer, meditation and the cultivation of the inner life. The psalmist said, ‘Be still, and know’, and Christ told us to enter into our closet, shut the door and pray unto the Father. It still works … Distractions must be conquered or they will conquer us. So let us cultivate simplicity; let us fill our minds with the Word of God and our hearts with praise. In that way we can livein peace even in such a distraught world as this. ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you.’ A. W. Tozer. The Set of the Sail, Christian Publications, 1986, pp. 129-132 This entry was posted on Friday, March 7th, 2014 at 4:35 pm and is filed under . You can follow any responses to this entry through the feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
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