Where Is Your Rock?
Ever get depressed or overwhelmed in your Christian walk? Of course! Do you ever get to the point in your Christian life that you think you have it all figured out? To the point where you are completely satisfied and you think you're doing some really good work for the cause of Christ?Can it be that at both ends of the spectrum we are sinning and missing the point? On one side I am down and out and thinking I'm not doing anything good or righteous...and on the other side, on the top of the hill, I think I am being totally effective. Let me say that it's just as dangerous to the Christian on the top of the hill as at the bottom of the deepest valley.
I just finished reading D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones' book "Spritual Depression." What a great book. On page 285 he made this statement which I think sums up where we should be...whether we are on the top of the mountain or in the valley.
"Do you know Him so well that though you become deaf or blind this fount will still be open? Do you know Him so well that you can talk to Him and listen to Him and enjoy Him always? Will all be well because you have always been so dependent ypon your relationship to Him that nothing else really matters!"
This was a comment with regards to Philippians 4:10-12. Read it Christian and ask yourself...when on top of the mountain...do I cling to Christ alone? When in the valley...do I also cling to Christ alone? If you cling to Him and find your joy in Him- in your relationship with Him, in knowing Him through His Word more and more...in being comforted by Him...then you have the right focus.
2 Comments:
I have not read the book, but I had wanted to purchase it last year. I was going through my first spiritual depression, or dark night of the soul as some have described it, and was trying to figure out if I needed to seek counseling, medication, shock therapy . . . Well after I read some Piper, did some looking around I found Jones' book and thought that would really help me. I never got it because the local family "Christian" store did not have it and I was too lazy to buy it online.
The bottom line for me was that I did not need any book other than the bible, mainly the Psalms. What a salve they were to my soul and how great it was to lean on the wisdom of the Psalmist. While going through this depression I also read Tozer's The Pursuit of God and was deeply moved toward the cross and away from my flesh.
As Americans we have such an easy life, most of us have always had food, clean water, a house, education . . . and think we somehow deserve all that. We as American Christians have carried that mentality to our walk with Christ and see salvation and grace as yet another "thing" we are entitled to, and this is why the doctrines of grace, especially total inability, are so paramount to proper praise, reverence and awe.
So, when we find ourselves in a dark night, we take issue with God (who owed us salvation) as if He has done us wrong.
For some reason we think being conformed to image of Christ will be easy, as long as we are moral and virtuous, go to church, say Jesus a lot, talk about those "sinners in the world" and maybe even homeschool our kids. Some of the mentioned are good for us to do, but those alone are not what the Christian life is about. The life of a Christian hinges upon the answer to why we do what we do; we either do it to please Christ and bring glory to His name or we do it to please Christ and bring glory to our name. Just a few thoughts to think about.
Cm,
Well put. It's sad that so many of us (including me) cling to so many things other than Christ when we are down and troubled. That's my focus right now...learning to love Him, seek Him, spend time with Him and to know Him better. I like what Scripture says...
John 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. (Joh 17:3 KJV)
To know Christ, intimately and passionately, that should be our goal.
Jim
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