There’s something about Mombasa. The
thought of an evening watching the sunset color the sky with the dim oranges,
as the cool breeze gently whispers across your face and the tides moving in
their rhythmic fashion, is always captivating. Such thoughts are what motivate
the ardent traveler to fasten their seat belts for the journey ahead. The
journey usually starts with very high excitement, sometimes even braving an
early morning before the break of dawn and taking a myriad of photographs to
quench the anticipation. By the time one is in Mtito Andei or Voi, most
passengers are usually asleep, weary-eyed, with their cameras in their bags.
The excitement sometimes dies a natural death. Journeys have that effect. Spiritual
journeys, nonetheless.
A new believer was sharing with me how she
wakes up at 3 AM every morning to spend quiet time with God. We shared how over
time, that sense of fervor can wax cold. The justifications we dare give are
usually a handful, but in truth, our hands are empty. When we look back at the
mountain experiences we have had with God, it can be easy to be nostalgic. But
nostalgia should move beyond itself to action.
I was regurgitating (and trying to
memorize) Paul’s words in Philippians 2:12-13,
“Therefore
my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not only as in my presence but much
more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling for it
is God who works in you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”
Knowing his end was near, Paul must have
wanted his “beloved” (as we are Christ’s) not to be merely nostalgic. He was
giving them a motivation for their present situation that would be necessary
for their future destination. It struck me in his mention of the words “own
salvation” and the Spirit of God drew me to those words because it was
important for me to remember that it is my own salvation, my own soul that I must
be the most cautious about, because it is this sense of personal devotion that
can result in life-giving service. In our bid to cultivate spiritual intimacy
with God, there are many justifications to the contrary: In our techie,
knowledge-driven world full of demeaning pleasures and dreadful distractions,
we can have a handful of excuses. Other times, it is actually important things
that may pose as roadblocks along the journey: relationships with loved ones, participating
in a Church ministry, working to put food on the table or even pursuing our
dreams. Yet Matthew Henry’s commentary on this verse reminds us that
We must
not only work at our salvation by doing something now and then about it; but we
must work out our salvation by doing all that is to be done, and persevering to
the end. Salvation is the great thing that we should mind and set our hearts
upon.
Over my few years of salvation, I have
noticed a trend. When I grow cold in my personal devotion to the Lord, I create
a pathway for sin, worry and restlessness. Most times when this happens, my
sense of spiritual clarity and vision gets clouded and I can get to a place of
looking at my relationship with Christ as a set of rules to be ticked. I am
reminded in such times that “Faith in Christ is ultimately expressed as
obedience to Christ . . . Not in the sense of following rules but of being completely
devoted to him” (IVP New Testament Commentary). I am convicted that intimacy
with God has to be central to my journey and in order to do this I should:
- Maintain a consistent quiet time with God (Ps. 42:1-2).
- Feed my spirit and starve my flesh (Romans 8:13-15).
- Obey even as much as I sacrifice my time, gifts and glory (2 Jn. 1:6).
- Desire to know more of God – I can never have enough of God (Ps. 119; 1 Pet. 2:2).
- Realize that hunger breeds more hunger for God (Matthew 5:6, Ps. 84:2).
Over the course of my relationship with my
fiancée, I have learnt that I need to be intentional in cultivating the love
between us. Some seasons no doubt will be busy, seasons of pain or hilltops of
happiness, but I have realized that intentionality and commitment go a long way
in breeding a Christ-centered, purposeful, fun and joyous sense of intimacy. When
feelings are not motivation enough, intentionality and commitment are. The same
applies in our journey with God.
Other Resources in relation to cultivating
intimacy with God:
A Vlog by Simply Feli What does Spiritual Intimacy Look Like?
A Sermon by John Piper Long
for the Pure Milk of the Word
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