Watch the vid below by Steve McVey, about Christian Religion LIE #61 “The Spiritual Disciplines Are Things We Do For God“ and my comments follow…
You hear this lie all the time, that the spiritual disciplines like Reading The Bible… Praying… Meditating on God’s word, etc are all our “gifts” to God that supposedly make Him more pleased with us.
In fact, most of the time it is told as “these are your DUTIES to make God happy”
Not duties. Not our gifts. They’re gifts to US from God!
The truth of the matter is the spiritual “disciplines” (even that word makes it sound like a duty, something you have to MAKE yourself do instead of enjoying it, doesn’t it?) are not things we do FOR God.
It’s not like we’re doing it for God and making Him happy by doing it. Reading the Bible, prayer, every spiritual disciplines are all His gift to us.
The Bible is nothing but a HUGE love letter from God to the entire world, showing how He is such perfect love that He created a universe of humans just to shower love on… and bring into union with Himself.
Prayer is God’s personal gift to us. It’s how we can grow in intimacy talking with the great Lover. Love itself. God.
Think of it like your relationship with your woman
(This example is from a guy’s perspective but I trust my female readers are smart enough to see how it applies to them)
Do you think of sending lovey dovey text messages… random phone calls… complimenting your woman’s beauty… grabbing her, hugging her and ravaging her as “relationship disciplines”?
Do you see them as your duty to your woman? Or as your gift to her that you’re required to give?
Or do you see them as ways to enjoy deeper intimacy with your woman… grow your relationship… and dance in the giving and receiving of love between you and your partner?
When you look at “spiritual disciplines” as “relationship disciplines” then what you must do becomes quite clear…
Don’t believe this lie any longer!
So don’t feel burdoned by the spiritual “disciplines”…
Don’t feel like you have to do them to make God happy. Don’t feel like you’re even doing them for God. See them as gifts from your loving father to you… and go to them to enjoy communion and discovering more about God.
With Love 
Caleb
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Michael 07.25.08 at 7:29 am
Wow…..what a breath of fresh air to have read these words. Perfect!
calebo 07.25.08 at 5:09 pm
Hey Michael,
I’m really glad you liked the blog post — yes it is a breath of fresh air.
What an amazing God we have eh?
With Love
Caleb
Terence 08.02.08 at 12:40 am
I heard this story recently on the internet. I thought of it when I read this blog.
A wife complains to her husband that she feels that the romance is going out of their marriage. The next Tuesday a baby sitter shows up at the door and says that the wife’s husband had called her and asked her to come over. The wife is surprised and not really knowing what it is about, she waits anxiously for her husband to return. He arrives and says I am going to take you out to dinner. Go put on the slinky red dress that I love. She excitedly runs upstairs and prepares herself for a beautiful evening. He takes her to her favorite restaurant where he has a table reserved. Everything is candle lit. There is a note on the table next to her plate about what he loves about her and appreciates about her. With tears forming in her eyes he reaches under the table and retrieves her favorite color rose that he has planted there earlier. They spend the evening talking about their relationship and how happy they are together. They go home and she says this was wonderful, it was so good. Then the next tues. the baby sitter arrives at the door. She says that the husband called her and asked her to come over. He comes home and says put on the red dress that I love and they go out to dinner at her favorite restaurant, there is a letter there and a rose and they had the same conversation. The first tues it felt wonderful but the second tues it felt a bit odd. Then the next Tuesday came around and he does the same thing. And the fourth and the firth until finally she was ready to stuff the rose down his throat.
calebo 08.02.08 at 5:15 pm
Terence,
That’s a cool story man. You’re right — the same ole same ole gets tired in any relationship
With Love
Caleb