Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Mark 1:35
“When the intellect grows strong, it makes ready to pursue the love which quenches all bodily passions and which
prevents anything contrary to nature from gaining control over the heart. Then the intellect, struggling against
what is contrary to nature, separates this from what is in accordance with nature. Examine yourself daily in the sight of God, and discover which of the passions is in your heart. Cast it out, and so escape His judgment. Be attentive to your heart and watch your enemies, for they are cunning in their malice. In your heart be persuaded of this: it is impossible for a man to achieve good through evil means.”
Isaiah the Solitary (d.491) in the Philokalia, Volume 1.10.
Today the “daily” aspect of examine stood out to me.
While traveling and ministering in places like India or Bangladesh, it requires extra discipline to make time for study and prayer, for Bible reading and contemplation. I have very little margin so I have to lose sleep to do it.
It’s easier just to allow a busy schedule run my life into the ground.
Instead I find that the busier the schedule seems, when I block the time to be with Jesus, the more energy and confidence I find for joining God in His work, for noticing what is going on in my heart and for seeing enemy attacks.
This marks a key paradox of the generous Christian faith and a characteristic of the abundant economy.
A leading inhibitor of this is a divided heart. When we give our heart to God, it produces consistent fruit. But when we think we can give ourselves to anything else, and to God, our faith and fruitfulness will always suffer.
Serving God with all you are and all you have. It will not leave you empty but rather enriched.
And do this to escape judgment. With Isaiah the Solitary, I think a lot of people will say they were believers in Jesus but not followers or disciples. Too many hear, and don’t do.
They succumb to the enemies traps, such as counterfeit faith which looks like Christianity but lacks radical deeds.
I head from Bangladesh back to India today. The time went so well there! PRaise God. I have two more group meetings in Mumbai and then heading to the airport late on 21 January 2025. Appreciate prayers for safe conclusion to this 2 weeks of service.