Archives by: Gary Hoag

Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. Colossians 3:2

“I cannot imagine how religious persons can live satisfied without the practice of the presence of God. For my part I keep myself retired with Him in the depth of centre of my soul as much as I can; and while I am so with Him I fear nothing; but the least turning from Him is insupportable.

This exercise does not much fatigue the body: it is, however, proper to deprive it sometimes, nay often, of many little pleasures which are innocent and lawful: for God will not permit that a soul which desires to be devoted entirely to Him should take other pleasures than with Him; that is more than reasonable.

I do not say that therefore we must put any violent constraint upon ourselves. No, we must serve God in a holy freedom, we must do our business faithfully, without trouble or disquiet; recalling our mind to God mildly and with tranquillity, as often as we find it wandering from Him.”

Brother Lawrence (c. 1614-1691) in The Practice of the Presence of God: The Best Rule of Holy Life (Grand Rapids: CCEL) 23.

It’s common in modern times for automakers to do a recall. They want the cars back to make something right. Maybe it is replacing an airbag or some other part. In the same way we need to recall our minds to God. If any part is focused on anything other than God we will not “live satisfied” and we are on a path that is “insupportable.”

Everybody is worried about COVID and what to do in the next 2-3 months or years. I think we should be more concerned about the next 2-3 million years. When we live in light of eternity, the “little pleasures” are less distracting. What distracts you? Identify it. That way, when it gets your attention and grips your affection, you can recall your mind to God.

To love Him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices. Mark 12:33

“The heart must be empty of all other things; because God will possess the heart alone; and as He cannot possess it alone, without emptying it of all besides, so neither can He act there, and do in it what He pleases, unless it be left vacant to Him.”

Brother Lawrence (c. 1614-1691) in The Practice of the Presence of God: The Best Rule of Holy Life (Grand Rapids: CCEL) 22.

The famous scene in the Christmas story portrays Mary and Joseph finding “No room in the inn.” There was no vacancy for the young couple who would soon welcome our Lord Jesus Christ. No vacancy for Jesus.

During His ministry on earth, Jesus taught that more important than our generosity and sacrifices is our love for God and love of neighbor. Our tendency is to think we can love God and fill-in-the-blank. How are you doing in that regard? Do you have any other loves?

To grow in generosity, each of us must empty our heart of all other loves. Notice Jesus does not say love Him with part of our heart. Or to put it another way, He neither needs nor wants anything from us. He wants us.

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed. 2 Corinthians 9:8

“We are to be pitied who content ourselves with so little. God, saith He, has infinite treasure to bestow, and we take up with a little sensible devotion which passes in a moment. Blind as we are, we hinder God, and stop the current of His graces. But when He finds a soul penetrated with a lively faith, He pours into it His graces and favours plentifully; there they flow like a torrent, which, after being forcibly stopped against its ordinary course, when it has found a passage, spreads itself with impetuosity and abundance. Yes, we often stop this torrent, by the little value we set upon it. But let us stop it no more: let us enter into ourselves and break down the bank which hinders it. Let us make way for grace; let us redeem the lost time, for perhaps we have but little left; death follows us close, let us be well prepared for it; for we die but once, and a miscarriage there is irretrievable.”

Brother Lawrence (c. 1614-1691) in The Practice of the Presence of God: The Best Rule of Holy Life (Grand Rapids: CCEL) 20-21.

Where are you in this profound quote? Do you content  yourself with little? Does the abundant current of His graces flow throuogh you? Or have you stopped it? 

With Brother Lawrence let us resolve to stop it no more. This requires us to “enter into ourselves” or be honest with ourselves, which will likely result in breaking the bank.

It’s the only process that makes way for the current of His graces.

Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

“We have a God who is infinitely gracious, and knows all our wants. I always thought that He would reduce you to extremity. He will come in His own time, and when you least expect it. Hope in Him more than ever: thank Him with me for the favours He does you, particularly for the fortitude and patience which He gives you in your afflictions: it is a plain mark of the care He takes of you; comfort yourself then with Him, and give thanks for all.”

Brother Lawrence (c. 1614-1691) in The Practice of the Presence of God: The Best Rule of Holy Life (Grand Rapids: CCEL) 19.

I got to go fly fishng with my son yesterday on the Upper Piney above Vail. It was my Father’s day present. He planned everything (see header photo). God, who is infinitely gracious, knew I needed that time with with Him in creation and with my son. The blessing was worth the wait (as Father’s day was weeks ago).

Are you waiting on God for something? Do you need patience in affliction? I think everyone needs help in these troubled times. Delight yourself in God. Find comfort and take solace in the one who knows your wants and needs. And trust in His timing though it may feel like He is reducing you to extremity.

This relates to generosity because God is neither predictable nor absent. He is with you but rarely works as you expect. Let your generosity be likewise. Care for those around you in unexpected ways. I will never forget the special day Sammy planned for us in the mountains and how God surprised us. Thanks God.

We caught and released a record number of trout between the two of us in one day, 105 trout. In five hours that was one every three minutes or so. And we both got the trout grand slam: rainbow, cutthroat, brown, and broot trout. Each one was a gift from God to us. Releasing them was our gift to future anglers.

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10

“As for my set hours of prayer, they are only a continuation of the same exercise. Sometimes I consider myself there, as a stone before a carver, whereof he is to make a statue: presenting myself thus before God, I desire Him to make His perfect image in my soul, and render me entirely like Himself.”

Brother Lawrence (c. 1614-1691) in The Practice of the Presence of God: The Best Rule of Holy Life (Grand Rapids: CCEL) 17.

Paul described us as “God’s handiwork” that is created to do good works. We are like the stone before a carver. And so beautiful that He is re-making us Christ to live generously!

What stirs within you when you hear that you are like a stone before a carver? How is God working in you? Know this. It is for a purpose. What is that purpose? It is to do good works!

Recently, I said to someone that I think doing good works when all society and order around us seems to be crumbling during COVID is simply doing what Jesus would do regardless of what others are doing.

It means that we live, give, serve, and love like Jesus no matter what. Its the opposite of the world, and may even result in trials and suffering. Our job is to be the stone and let the Carver have His way.

Then He said to them all: “Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow Me.” Luke 9:23

“Since you desire so earnestly that I should communicate to you the method by which I arrived at that habitual sense of God’s presence, which our Lord, of His mercy, has been pleased to vouchsafe to me; I must tell you, that it is with great difficulty that I am prevailed on by your importunities; and now I do it only upon the terms, that you show my letter to nobody. If I knew that you would let it be seen, all the desire that I have for your advancement would not be able to determine me to it. The account I can give you is: Having found in many books different methods of going to God, and diverse practices of the spiritual life, I thought this would serve rather to puzzle me, than facilitate what I sought after, which was nothing but how to become wholly God’s. This made me resolve to give the all for the All.”

Brother Lawrence (c. 1614-1691) in The Practice of the Presence of God: The Best Rule of Holy Life (Grand Rapids: CCEL) 15.

Today’s excerpt comes from the first of fifteen letters that comprise the second half of this classic little book. By his statement, “show my letter to nobody,” we learn that Brother Lawrence is not sharing these priceless insights for any focus to be drawn to Him.

He states, in plain terms, that becoming wholly God’s came not from engaging in a variety of spiritual practices, which might leave him puzzled, but rather by resolving to give the all for the All. This path to God’s presence sounds strikingly similar to an obedient response to this statement of Jesus. Interestingly, our Lord does not say that the pathway to being His disciple is to read Scripture, pray, or perform any other practices.

Jesus keeps it simple and so does Brother Lawrence. In so doing, an ironic twist linked to generosity comes into view. Brother Lawrence gives everything (“his all”) and discovers the joy of the habitual sense of God’s presence (“the All”). What results is not a transaction, such as a total loss, but rather a transformation, which amounts to unfathomable gain.

Perhaps it’s best to conclude today’s post with the words he uses to conclude this first letter. In so doing, I pray his humility causes every reading it to give like Brother Lawrence gave. Give the all for the All.

“Such has been my common practice ever since I entered into religion; and though I have done it very imperfectly, yet I have found great advantages by it. These, I well know, are to be imputed to the mere mercy and goodness of God, because we can do nothing without Him; and I still less than any. But when we are faithful to keep ourselves in His holy Presence, and set Him always before us, this not only hinders our offending Him, and doing anything that may displease Him, at least wilfully, but it also begets in us a holy freedom, and if I may so speak, a familiarity with God, wherewith we ask, and that successfully, the graces we stand in need of. In time, by often repeating these acts, they become habitual, and the presence of God is rendered as it were natural to us. Give Him thanks, if you please, with me, for His great goodness towards me, which I can never sufficiently admire, for the many favours He has done to so miserable a sinner as I am. May all things praise Him. Amen.”

If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. Luke 16:10

“That we ought not to be weary of doing little things for the love of God, who regards not the greatness of the work, but the love with which it is performed. That we should not wonder if, in the beginning, we often failed in our endeavours, but that at last we should gain a habit, which will naturally produce its acts in us, without our care, and to our exceeding great delight.”

Brother Lawrence (c. 1614-1691) in The Practice of the Presence of God: The Best Rule of Holy Life (Grand Rapids: CCEL) 12.

Long before Mother Teresa proclaimed “do small things with great love,” Brother Lawrence made this similar statement about doing little things for the love of God. The older I am getting, the more I am realizing that life is a series of little things.

And notice his clarification for those of us who are growing in our showing compassion with generosity. If you fail at first. Don’t give up. Over time, you will gain a habit so that the compassionate generosity will become a natural and regular part of your life.

Such good news brings me great delight and hope. I pray it encourages you today too.

But be sure to fear the LORD and serve Him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things He has done for you. 1 Samuel 12:24

“That in the beginning of the spiritual life, we ought to be faithful in doing our duty and denying ourselves; but after that unspeakable pleasures followed: that in difficulties we need only have recourse to Jesus Christ, and beg His grace, with which everything became easy.

That many do not advance in the Christian progress, because they stick in penances, and particular exercises, while they neglect the love of God, which is the end. That this appeared plainly by their works, and was the reason why we see so little solid virtue.

That there needed neither art nor science for going to GOD, but only a heart resolutely determined to apply itself to nothing but Him, or for His sake, and to love Him only.”

Brother Lawrence (c. 1614-1691) in The Practice of the Presence of God: The Best Rule of Holy Life (Grand Rapids: CCEL) 9-10

Brother Lawrence reminds us that God desires wholehearted and faithful service. In so doing, we must not get stuck in penances. What might this look like in modern times?

To much of giving, for many people, looks less like generosity and more like paying taxes. God does not need our tithes (law language) or tax payments! He wants our hearts.

For our generosity to be mixed with compassion and for grasping unspeakable pleasures, let us deny ourselves and nurture our love for God with all we are and all we have.

Father, by your Holy Spirit, make our hearts resolutely determined and focused on loving you. As we do this, may your cares become ours and may our generosity and compassion look like Jesus. Amen.

Do everything in love. 1 Corinthians 16:14

“In his business in the kitchen (to which he had naturally a great aversion), having accustomed himself to do everything there for the love of GOD, and with prayer, upon all occasions, for His grace to do his work well, he had found everything easy, during the fifteen years that he had been employed there.”

Brother Lawrence (c. 1614-1691) in The Practice of the Presence of God: The Best Rule of Holy Life (Grand Rapids: CCEL) 7.

Brother Lawrence did His kitchen work well and with ease by doing it for the love of God and with prayer. The rest of us would undoubtedly benefit from taking note of this.

If you want to see a living example of this, look at my wife, Jenni. Today marks our 28th anniversary. She does everything in love and by prayer. Happy Anniversary!

My word for today appears 28 times in Scripture: “Hallelujah!” It means “God be praised.” That’s how I feel about the generous gift of a wife who does everything for the love of God and with prayer.

Hallelujah!

Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed Him. Matthew 20:34

“That he had always been governed by love, without selfish views; and that having resolved to make the love of GOD the end of all his actions, he had found reasons to be well satisfied with his method. That he was pleased when he could take up a straw from the ground for the love of GOD, seeking Him only, and nothing else, not even His gifts.”

Brother Lawrence (c. 1614-1691) in The Practice of the Presence of God: The Best Rule of Holy Life (Grand Rapids: CCEL) 6.

In modern times, we tend to be governed by God’s gifts rather than the love of God. The end of our actions has become acquiring things rather than a deep relationship with the God who supplies those things.

For the next few days I want to explore this classic work because I am learning that growing in compassion and generosity is understanding more deeply the love of God, and becoming governed by love.

When Jesus came across people who could not see, governed by love, he touched them. Join me if you need His touch to see what we cannot and so as to follow Him more closely in the way of love.